Guest Lecture: Regional Economic Integration for an Asian Century: Trends, Opportunities and the Way Forward

The Asia and Pacific region has emerged as the growth pole of the world economy especially since 2000. However, in the aftermath of the 2008–2009 global financial crisis, sustaining the dynamism of Asian and Pacific economies would require a rebalancing in favor of regional economic integration. This lecture makes a compelling case for deepening and broadening economic integration in Asia and the Pacific region and move towards the formation of an economic community of Asia and the Pacific as a long term goal. It argues that broader regional economic integration in Asia within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership of East Asia (RCEP) framework, being negotiated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+6 countries, could be critical for harnessing the potential of regionalism especially in the context of emergence of mega-RTAs like TPP and TTIP. 

 

Dr Nagesh Kumar is Head of the South and South-West Asia Office of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) based in New Delhi. Previously, he was the Director, Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division and Chief Economist of UNESCAP based at its headquarters in Bangkok. A PhD from the Delhi School of Economics, Dr Kumar has conducted extensive research on aspects of development economics focusing on trade, FDI, competitiveness and macroeconomic policies resulting in the publication of 19 books and over 100 peer-reviewed papers and has held important positions with the government and academic institutions prior to joining the UNESCAP.