This module analyses the patterns and characteristics of political, economic and cultural change in Southeast Asia. It investigates common and competing understandings of economy-state-society relations in the region. After briefly reviewing the region's history, the module will look at a number of topical issues in the region such as people/mobilities, markets/consumption cultures, the politics of financial development and the emergence of new forms of regional cooperation.

Learning Objectives 

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of the historical development of the political economy of the Southeast Asian region.
• Provide analytical accounts of the configuration of state-society relations in the Southeast Asia region and their impact on the economy.
• Demonstrate awareness of various economic flows – people, goods and money – and how they unfold and are governed in the Southeast Asia region.
• Critically assess past and current regional economic cooperation initiatives.

Topics covered

• Introduction: Southeast Asian Transformations
• Political Economy meets Southeast Asia
• Tracing Economic Change: from peasant societies to mega-cities
• The State in Southeast Asia
• People and Mobility
• Consumption Cultures
• The Politics of Financial Development
• Regionalisation and ASEAN Economic Community