Asia Research Centre

THE major theme of the Asia Research Centre’s work is its attempt to identify and explain how the different forms and impacts of globalisation are mediated by factors internal to the region.

Much of this involves analysis of how economic and political interests are being advanced and resisted.

From 1991, the Asia Research Centre was comprehensively funded by the Australian Research Council as a Special Research Centre for the maximum nine years. Subsequently from 1999 to 2001, the Centre looked to its consulting arm to generate the income necessary to support academic research.

Now the academic research agenda will be reasserted with the separation of consultancy activities from the Centre and with an increasing reliance on the international research collaboration.

The Centre aims to become a more influential player in public debate over policy on governance, institutional reform, democratisation and other issues concerning East and Southeast Asian and Australia’s relationship to the region.