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The Displaced: Disrupted Trade, Labour, and Politics in the Mekong River Basin

Considered as the “Mother of Waters”, the Mekong River flows in six countries (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam), supporting the lives and livelihoods of at least 70 million people. It is a crucial socio-economic centre of mainland Southeast Asia, with its agricultural and fisheries sectors producing much of the region’s staples.

The Mekong River Basin is a complex ecosystem and has been made increasingly vulnerable to human manipulation. For example, recent events have shown that activities in the hydro-electric sector have caused a breakdown in the fisheries and agricultural sectors. Changes in the Mekong River’s water levels due to upstream water use have a large impact in the availability of fish and the volume and quality of agricultural produce in the delta. Pollution management and effective transportation arrangements are also regional issues that need practical and pragmatic solutions.

The population of the Lower Mekong Basin are among the world’s poorest. A significant portion of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam still subsist on incomes below the poverty line. Even Thailand, the richest among the four Lower Mekong Basin countries is still grappling with poverty. In addition, the outset of the COVID19 pandemic has put the Greater Mekong Region’s population in a more economically precarious position.

The Mekong has also become a focal point for geopolitical contests among different power players in the region. The management of natural resources, infrastructure and connectivity within the Mekong is subject to contentious interests and value systems. In this regard, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (KAS) Regional Economic Programme Asia (SOPAS) invites submissions for country-specific papers or case studies on trade, labour, and politics in the Greater Mekong Region.

The country paper or case study (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam) should tackle the following main questions:

• How do China’s water politics, each country’s respective water politics, and investment projects along the Mekong impact trade, labor migration, displacement, connectivity and sustainable growth in these countries?
• How does the respective national framework address these issues?

Topics should include the following:

• Labor migration and displacement in the Mekong River Basin
• Impact of pandemics on economic and social patterns (e.g., lessons learnt from SARS)
• Climate impact and resilience (i.e., forced inner country migration and disruptions)
• Impact on interregional trade and growing competitiveness
• Geopolitical issues resulting from coercive water and energy politics (i.e., effects on riparian states)

KAS SOPAS will provide an 900 EUR honoraria for each accepted paper. Accepted papers will also be published by KAS SOPAS in an edited book volume.

Important dates:

• Initial abstract submission: May 7, 2021
• Notification of acceptance: June 18/21, 2021
• Draft paper: July 19, 2021
• Final paper: August – October 2021

The submitted abstract should not exceed 350 words; a minimum of three keywords and the email addresses and affiliation of the authors should also be included. The paper should have 3,500 - 5,000 words (excluding any footnotes and references). Please see attached submission guidelines for further information.

Submissions should be emailed to Cristita Marie Perez, Senior Programme Manager (SOPAS), cristita.perez@kas.de, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Japan Office, Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan. www.kas.de/japan

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