Southeast Asia is one of the most climate change-vulnerable regions in the world. However, compounding the climate crisis are socioeconomic and geopolitical challenges that shape the unequal distribution of ecological burdens across communities. In this seminar, Yasmin Wirjawan and Gaea Morales explore where these intersecting vulnerabilities create opportunities for policy innovation and meaningful change across sectors and levels of governance.

Wirjawan discusses the importance of regional digitalization initiatives in fostering climate resilience, with a focus on addressing gender-based differences in mobile connectivity among youth NEET (not in education, employment, or training). She will also evaluate the strategic implications of the recently published ASEAN Community Vision 2045 within the framework of regional demographic shifts and digital transformation in advancing social inclusion. Meanwhile, Morales provides insights on how local governments in the region are responding to the climate crisis through norm “localization,” drawing on the example of city-level adoption of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

By exploring the collaborative nature of these planning practices, the case studies demonstrate how local governments fill resource and technical state capacity gaps, and in doing so develop innovative climate action projects through city-to-city learning and advocacy networks. Together, both presentations highlight the agency of local communities and governments in paving the way for the region’s sustainable future from the bottom up. 
 

Speakers
 

Image

Yasmin Wirjawan joins the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) as a visiting scholar from 2024 to 2026. Her research focuses on economic participation and climate change resilience among women and youth in Southeast Asia. She has over 20 years of experience serving on corporate and nonprofit boards across diverse industries. She also serves as Independent Commissioner of TBS Energi Utama, Advisor to Ancora Group and Sweef Capital, and leads the Ancora Foundation. Wirjawan holds a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation and a MSc in Management and Systems from New York University. She also earned a MSc in Finance from Brandeis University and BA in International Business from the American University of Paris.

Image

Gaea Morales is the 2025-26 Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow on Contemporary Asia at APARC. Her work studies how global norms translate into local action, with a focus on cities, global environmental governance, and human rights. Her book project explores both the motivations and mechanisms by which cities “localize” (i.e., translate) environmental norms using case studies of Southeast Asia’s coastal capitals. She received her MA and PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California, and her BA in Diplomacy and World Affairs and French Studies from Occidental College. Her work is also informed by past experiences in international and local agencies, including UNDP Philippines and the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. In Fall 2026, she will join Loyola University Chicago as the Helen Houlahan Rigali Assistant Professor of Political Science.

About the Speaker 

Professor Hsieh is the Phyllis and Irwin Winkelreid Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He is an elected member of Taiwan's Academia Sinica, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Econometric Society. He is also a two times recipient of the Sun Ye-Fang Award of China's Academy of Social Sciences.

The family of Dr. Sam-Chung Hsieh donated his personal archive to the Stanford Libraries' Special Collections and endowed the Dr. Sam-Chung Hsieh Memorial Lecture series to honor his legacy and to inspire future generations. Dr. Sam-Chung Hsieh (1919-2004) was former Governor of the Central Bank in Taiwan. During his tenure, he was responsible for the world's largest foreign exchange reserves, and was widely recognized for achieving stability and economic growth. In his long and distinguished career as economist and development specialist, he held key positions in multilateral institutions including the Asian Development Bank, where as founding Director, he was instrumental in advancing the green revolution and in the transformation of rural Asia. Read more about Dr. Hsieh.

One Bed, Two Dreams: Why Joint Ventures So Often Fail in China

Please join us for an on-campus lecture and discussion led by author Kenneth Wilcox and moderated by SCCEI Senior Research Fellow Chenggang Xu.

Light refreshments will be served.

Ken Wilcox is the author of “The China Business Conundrum: Ensure that Win-Win Doesn’t Mean Western Companies Lose Twice” (Wiley, November 2024) and “Leading Through Culture” (Waterside, 2020).

Ken was the CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) from 2001 to 2011, then the CEO of SVB’s joint venture with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB-SVB) in Shanghai until 2015, followed by four years as its Vice Chairman. He currently serves on the boards of the Asia Society of Northern California, the Asian Art Museum, and UC San Diego’s 21st Century China Center, as well as Columbia Lake Partners, a European venture-debt fund. He is on the Board of Advisors of the Fudan University School of Management in Shanghai and teaches as an Adjunct Professor at U.C. Berkeley.

Ken holds a PhD in German from Ohio State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a former member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He has given numerous speeches in both English and Chinese, published a variety of articles in the banking press, and recently wrote the management book “Leading Through Culture: How Real Leaders Create Cultures That Motivate People to Achieve Great Things” (Waterside Productions, 2020) and its accompanying workbook, “How About You?” (Waterside Productions, 2023). The father of two sons, he lives in San Francisco with his wife, Ruth, and several antique cars.