Publications

Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the geopolitical landscape of climate action has fundamentally shifted. This policy paper examines how the EU and China interact across the Global South in support of net-zero development.

The 2024 July Uprising in Bangladesh integrated the characteristics of Gen Z revolutions around the world while also building upon the nation’s unique history of protests and resistance. Over the course of several weeks in the summer of 2024, the July Uprising operationalised tools such as street art, music, and memes and combined digital networks with in-person protests. By early August, the movement ousted Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian regime, but whether the vision of the protesters can be sustained remains to be seen.

This research seeks to break the silence surrounding sexual consent, particularly in a culture where women are pressured to remain virgins until marriage and are frequently blamed when they fall victims of sexual violence. 

This is a booklet about Nepali women diaspora produced by The Feminism Project Nepal and the Alliance Française de Katmandou (AFK). It contains eleven testimonies showing Nepali diaspora women's difficulties in coping with their multicultural backgrounds.

In Southern Afghanistan, an urgent crisis is brewing. Water scarcity is driving large-scale displacement and migration, threatening to escalate into a global issue. Decades of drought have depleted traditional water sources, pushing communities to rely on unsustainable groundwater extraction.

Within Taliban governance, the absence of a constitution or legal structure leaves Emir's decrees as the principal guiding force. This policy brief looks at Taliban governance and the challenges posed by the reliance on moral guidance.

In 2023, tensions peaked between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the expulsion of Afghan nationals. This brief examines the institutional response, challenges, and recommendations for international support.

To successfully achieve a peaking and rapid decline in emissions, China will need increased efforts on energy efficiency, a successful transformation of the economic growth model, or even higher investments into clean energy.

This policy paper investigates the trend towards authoritarian elections in mainland Southeast Asia – in Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar – with a focus on the right to political participation.

Activists and amateur women filmmakers have played a pivotal role in capturing the realities of life under the Taliban rule. They have utilised social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter to obtain an unfiltered perspective of Afghanistan. This E-Paper explores the insights that can be gained from these films in our efforts to understand the current crisis that women in Afghanistan face.

In this groundbreaking report tracking China’s climate transition, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) assessed China’s progress in curbing emissions against 19 different benchmarks and carried out a survey of 26 Chinese energy sector analysts and experts.

The study by Asia expert Dieter Reinhardt shows why the construction of this coal-fired power plant is an exemplary anachronism: it prevents the expansion of renewable energies, which is necessary because of climate change and for which Bangladesh has the potential; and it weakens coastal protection, which should have priority in view of rising sea levels.

The 10th issue of Perspectives Asia takes a look at how the pandemic is reshaping state/society relationships in different Asian countries; it also shares down-to-earth Covid-19 experiences from different regions and cultures, on issues as diverse as trust in government institutions, the situation of migrant workers, and gender relationships. 

Evolving around the main essay “Sharing life. The Ecopolitics of Reciprocity”, all contributions to this assemblage reflect a common understanding that ecology and biodiversity needs to be reclaimed – and constantly generated – as a process of lived and living realities in a system of reciprocal relationships.

This issue of Perspectives Asia examines intersections of sports and politics. We look at how, through sports, identities are shaped, myths and heroes are born, and unconventional truths are buried.

The Salah Consortium, a consortium of 6 Afghan civil society organisations, conducted a survey in order to give ordinary Afghans a voice in the peace process and to learn about their expectations. Responses of the survey show, that the people perceive a more prominent role for civil society, tribal elders and other members of society, while the current process is largely driven by foreigners and the Afghan political elite.

This edition of Perspectives Asia presents the work of climate change activists in Asia who are calling their governments and people to action. With contributions from Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, China, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

In the last years, a number of countries decided to join the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has developed into a major player in the global financial architecture in record time. Korinna Horta's analysis of the situation regarding the respective standards after three years of AIIB in operation is very sobering.

The latest issue of Perspectives Asia aims to draw a fine line between different forms of nationalism. The articles from various Asian countries focus on strategies and political styles adopted by populist leaders and explain how nationalistic and religious ideas are distorted by politics. 

Moving beyond the minimum legal requirement for women in political parties to actual political representation and participation. 

What impact does the 18th Constitutional Amendment have on Renewable Energy and sustainability in Pakistan? This study explores the institutional setup around renewable energy at both the provincial and the federal levels and analyses the mandate of the institutional arrangements. It also highlights the challenges to renewable energy growth that have emerged after the 18th amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. 
 

Over the last years, Asia has undergone an impressive digital transformation. Large parts of the continent have turned from the world’s factory into a creative industry.The different contributions across the continent highlight both the opportunities and risks of digitalization in Asia.