Society

FSI researchers work to understand continuity and change in societies as they confront their problems and opportunities. This includes the implications of migration and human trafficking. What happens to a society when young girls exit the sex trade? How do groups moving between locations impact societies, economies, self-identity and citizenship? What are the ethnic challenges faced by an increasingly diverse European Union? From a policy perspective, scholars also work to investigate the consequences of security-related measures for society and its values.

The Europe Center reflects much of FSI’s agenda of investigating societies, serving as a forum for experts to research the cultures, religions and people of Europe. The Center sponsors several seminars and lectures, as well as visiting scholars.

Societal research also addresses issues of demography and aging, such as the social and economic challenges of providing health care for an aging population. How do older adults make decisions, and what societal tools need to be in place to ensure the resulting decisions are well-informed? FSI regularly brings in international scholars to look at these issues. They discuss how adults care for their older parents in rural China as well as the economic aspects of aging populations in China and India.

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Fidel Ramos' term as President of the Philippines was marked, among other things, by the highest economic growth since the Republic's independence, massive investments in infrastructure, and a peace agreement with the Southern Muslim secessionist movement. In 1998 he was awarded the UNESCO Peace Award for his role in promoting stability in the Southeast Asian region. Following his term of office, Mr. Ramos has continued to exercise a significant influence on Filipino politics. In January 2000 he led a pivotal march demanding the resignation of his successor, Joseph Estrada, which occurred two days later. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he now serves as Special Roving Ambassador for the current president, Gloria Arroyo.

Asia/Pacific Scholars Room, Encina Hall, Central Wing, Third Floor

Fidel V. Ramos Former President, 1992-1998 Speaker Republic of the Phillippines
Workshops
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While Asia and Europe's bilateral links with the United States are deep, ties between Europe and Asia need to be strengthened. In the aftermath of the Asian economic crisis and Europe's focus on issues closer to home (European single currency and the enlargement process), is the building of a new Asia-Europe partnership a priority for the European Union? Can the Asian economic crisis serve as a window of opportunity for closer and lasting economic cooperation between Asia and Europe? How can Europe assist in the implementation of economic reform programs and the process of market liberalization? What is the future of enhanced EU-Asia political cooperation in the areas of the environment, crime and drugs, terrorism, and human rights? How can Europe and Asia best pursue their common interests in arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation? Professor Rinsche has had a distinguished career in German and European politics spanning more than three decades: as a member of the German Parliament (1965-1972) and a member of the European Parliament for twenty years (1979-1999). He was president of the EP-Delegation for ASEAN, South-East Asia, and South Korea (1979-1999), and chairman of the CDU/CSU-Group from 1989-1999. He is currently president of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German political foundation promoting civic education in Germany and democracy and development abroad. Professor Rinsche will have just returned from an extended trip to South-East Asia and China and will share his recent insights in the current situation in that region.

AP Scholars conference room, Encina Hall, third floor, south wing

Gunter Rinsche President Speaker Konrad Adenauer Foundation
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Since the early 1990s the issue of how the Japanese remember World War II has been in the headlines over and over again. The most recent round of junior high school textbook revisions, for example, has created a firestorm of protest in Korea and China. But there is much evidence to belie the charge that the Japanese suffer from collective amnesia. War memory is not fixed but remains highly contested. Peter Duus, a historian of modern Japan, William H. Bonsall Professor of History at Stanford. He has written and edited several book on prewar Japanese imperialism, including The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910.

Okimoto Conference Room, Encina Hall, Third Floor, East Wing

Peter Duus William H. Bonsall Professor of History Speaker Stanford University
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Nearly a quarter-century has elapsed since the Khmer Rouge held power in Cambodia (1975-78). Yet Cambodians still are shadowed by that catastrophic experience, and by conflicting legacies from other parts of their country's past. Cambodians continue to struggle to come to terms with what the Pol Pot era meant, and with what has happened to them since. After centuries of relative isolation, they must also contend with changes in Cambodia's identity in what seems to be an ever faster moving world. Views of Cambodia's history and destiny, formed in colonial and Cold War times, no longer seem to fit. But new interpretations have not yet taken hold. Epitomizing this confusion is the issue of bringing surviving Khmer Rouge leaders to justice. Over the last decade or so, efforts toward this end have inched forward and bogged down, beset by clashing political priorities and notions of justice and culpability. Cambodians ask themselves: Should we insist on remembering, or allow forgetting? Why? And with what implications for the future? David Chandler is the leading English-language historian of Cambodia. He holds degrees from Harvard College, Yale University, and the University of Michigan. From l972 to l997 he taught Southeast Asian history at Monash University in Australia. Since then he has held appointments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Oregon, and Cornell University. His books include A History of Cambodia (3rd ed., 2000), Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot (2nd ed., 1999), and Voices from S 21: Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison (l999). His many other writings include coauthorship of the classic history text, In Search of Southeast Asia (1971), the 3rd revised edition of which should appear next year.

Okimoto Conference Room, Encina Hall, Third Floor, East Wing,

David Chandler Adjunct Professor of Asian Studies Speaker Georgetown University
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The Kingdom of Bhutan, an independent country in the Himalayas, has designed its own theory and practice of socioeconomic development, which it calls "Gross National Happiness." Bhutan entered into relations with the outside world only in the early 1960s; since then it has pursued development in a way that is consonant with its own Buddhist values. An intrinsically interesting experiment in itself, Bhutan's experience now assumes broader relevancy as its pursuit of development must take account of the problems small nations and cultures confront in the face of the powerful impact of globalization. The Ambassador will discuss these problems and answer questions. His Excellency Om Pradhan, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations, was born in 1946 and was educated in India, England, and Hawaii. As Minister for Trade, Industry, Power, and Tourism in the Royal Government of Bhutan, he has been a central figure in Bhutan's economic and social development. He has also served as Bhutan's Ambassador to India, Nepal, and the Maldives, has led the Bhutanese delegation in several rounds of boundary talks with the People's Republic of China, has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan, and has participated in innumerable international and regional conferences.

Daniel and Nancy Okimoto Conference Room

Lyonpo Om Pradhan Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan Speaker United Nations
Seminars
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Jin Hwa Jung is a Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET) in Seoul, Korea, and currently a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), Stanford University. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Seoul National University, and Ph.D. degree in economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Jung has undertaken substantial work on the analysis of the Korean labor market. Her current research focuses on the gender differences in employment and wage structures in the industries with differing knowledge intensity. Abstract: Knowledge-based industries have taken an increasingly large role in the Korean economy since the mid-1980s in terms of value-added, employment, and productivity growth. Compared with traditional industries, knowledge-based industries are characterized by higher ratio of knowledge-intensive jobs, higher wage rates, and higher wage growth in the recent past. In particular, the gender wage gap is less noticeable in knowledge-based industries and, more importantly, less attributable to non-productivity-related discrimination against women. Policies to promote women's employment and career development in knowledge-based sectors are called for.

Okimoto Conference Room, Encina Hall, Third Floor, East Wing

Jin Hwa Jung Visiting Scholar, Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), Stanford Speaker Research Fellow, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), Seoul, Korea
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11:30-12:00: Yoshinari Tanaka, "Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations" 12:00-12:30: Hiromi Furushima, "Venture Financing and Corporate Law Reform" 12:30 -1:00: Satsuki Nishimi, "Rethinking current Legal Structure of Recycle-based Society" 1:00-1:30: Hidenori Mitsui, "E-commerce Taxation: A Key for Restructuring the Income Tax System" Brown bag lunches are welcome at this event. RSVPs are not necessary.

Okimoto Conference Room, Encina Hall, Third Floor, East Wing

Please see below for complete list of speakers

A dozen years have passed since the end of the Cold War, but the legacy remains in both Western and Eastern Europe. This workshop aims to bring together scholars and experts from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds to discuss the ways in which the detrimental effects on social, political and economic structures of the legacy can be alleviated.

The workshop will develop two aspects of this issue: the external security structure represented by NATO and the emerging EU security policy; and the internal security structure including threats to civil society and problems of political and economic transition. Four papers would be delivered in each of two sessions. Participation would be balanced between US and European contributors.

Session One: The Legacy of the Cold War on Europe's External Security Structure

Paper 1:

NATO, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Common Foreign- and Security Policy of the European Union: Cooperation or Competition?

Paper 2:

The Transatlantic Imbalance: Why does the US still carry the burden of Europe's defense?

Paper 3:

NATO Expansion and the Russian Reaction

Paper 4:

The EU's CFSP and the Role of the Rapid Reaction Force

Session Two: The Legacy of the Cold War on Europe's Internal Security and Stability

Paper 5:

Nuclear Safety and the Problem of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material

Paper 6:

Immigration and Asylum Issues in the Light of EU Enlargement

Paper 7:

Economic Stability and the Incorporation of the Transition Economies

Paper 8:

The Political Legacy of the Cold War and the Development of Democratic Institutions in Central and Eastern Europe

Daniel and Nancy Okimoto Conference Room

Workshops

This project discusses visions of democracy, and analyzes and determines criteria for the evaluation of the democratic character of political systems. It studies the EU's principal legislative procedures, and examines how they perform according to the selected criteria. For example, it studies to what extent EU policies can depart from the median voter's preferences. It analyzes the evolution of the democratic deficit over time, studies the impact of potential reforms and enlargement, and compares the EU institutions and procedures to the political system of the United States (US).

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