Regional development in Southeast Asia: The challenges of subnational diversity

Abstract

Regional, in the sense of subnational, development is all too frequently ignored in assessing the socio‐economic performance of countries. Yet in an era when nation‐states are under challenge as never before, it is important to include the regional dimension in any such assessment. This paper addresses the issue with reference to four Southeast Asian economies. These countries provide an excellent laboratory for an examination of regional development performance and policy issues, given their ecological and economic diversity, and the range of policy approaches employed.

Keywords:

• Regional development
• spatial inequality
• Southeast Asia