Panel 3: Political and Economic Developments in Burma/Myanmar

Convenors: Jurgen Haacke, Department of International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science, j.haacke@lse.ac.uk
Richard Vokes, Post-Graduate Institute of Management, Sri Lanka

Panel Abstract

Unexpected by most, the new nominally civilian government in Burma/Myanmar has since mid-2011 embarked upon serious political and economic reforms. While the military leadership had excluded Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the political process for years, the government of President U Thein Sein opted to pursue a political dialogue with her and relented sufficiently to lead the National League for Democracy to decide that it should participate in the April 2012 by-elections. The government has also made ceasefire and peace talks with the country’s armed ethnic groups a major priority. Moreover, reform minded officials and legislators have pushed for better governance in many areas. Among the key economic reforms to date has been the dramatic decision in early April to adopt a managed float for the country’s currency which saw the official rate of the kyat brought into line with the black market rate. This is seen as a critical step in opening up Myanmar to increased foreign investment but will also have major ramifications for the whole economy. Economic reforms can also be expected to have significant implications for other areas, such as governance and corruption, the environment, urbanization, labour relations, and poverty.

The proposed panel aims to provide an opportunity to examine and discuss the momentous change presently occurring in Myanmar. Possible papers might focus on, but are not limited to the following:

- the political dynamics among the major political actors and institutions within Myanmar
- explanations for and assessments of the fast-paced reforms undertaken
- the role of external actors in Myanmar’s political transition, particularly the United States
- discussions of the challenges and prospects for the reform initiatives
- implications of political and economic change for Myanmar’s neighbours

Please submit paper proposals (abstracts of max 300 words) to:
Jurgen Haacke, j.haacke@lse.ac.uk;
Richard Vokes, rwavokes@gmail.com
Please note that paper abstracts need to be submitted by 12 June 2012