APEC Study Centers Consortium - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Print This Page Print This Page
Send This Page Send This Page
 

APEC Study Centers Consortium

  

In 1993, APEC Leaders decided to establish a network of APEC Study Centres (ASCs) amongst universities and research institutions in APEC member economies. Together they form the APEC Study Centres Consortium (ASCC).

ASCs undertake research, disseminate information and facilitate discussion on APEC-related issues. There are now ASCs in 20 Member Economies, comprising some 100 universities, research centres and centres of academic excellence. Financial support is provided by member governments and research topics are usually chosen by individual study centres.

An annual ASCC Conference is held in the APEC host economy for the year. It provides an opportunity for academics and scholars to discuss their research and to identify areas for regional collaboration.

Achievements

APEC celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2009. Consequently, the host of the 2009 ASCC Conference, the Institute of South-East Asian Studies (the home of the Singapore APEC Study Centre), chose the topic, "APEC at 20: Looking Ahead to the Next Decade" for the Conference held on the 13th -14th July.

The Conference reviewed APEC's 20 years of existence with the goal of envisaging its future. Presenting academics considered how APEC and its agenda should develop in the next 10 years in the context of an evolving regional architecture. The presentations also included discussion of the Bogor Goals, the impact of the global recession and the role of APEC.

Several interesting prospects for APEC were debated during the Conference, including:
  • Options ranging from the termination of APEC to the creation of an "APEC caucus" within the G-20.
  • The potential for an enhanced role for APEC in ensuring 'inclusive' and 'sustainable' growth in the region.
  • That SMEs could benefit from regional cooperation to access global markets through APEC.
  • The need for new economic models for the region - models that support domestic-led growth in addition to export-led growth.

At the end of the ASCC Conference, the Latin America/Caribbean and Asia/Pacific Economics and Business Association (LAEBA) - a joint initiative of the Asian Development Bank Institute and the Inter-American Development Bank - held its Fifth Annual Conference (15th July). It gathered experts from Asia and Latin America to discuss accelerating regional integration in the Asia-Pacific region

Top

Current Activities

The 2010 ASCC Conference will be held in Tokyo, Japan on 8-9 July 2010.

APEC Study Centers (ASC) Consortium - Key Contacts

Chair
Professor Shujiro Urata
Organising Committee for 2010 ASCC Japan
Waseda University
Tokyo
Japan

APEC Secretariat
Mr. Luis Tsuboyama
Director (Program)
E-mail: lt@apec.org
Top

Reviewed on: 18th January 2010