CMI Research by Geographical Region
Southern and Central Asia
Presentation | People | Projects | Publications | Library acquisitions
Map: CMI research on Southern and Central Asia
South Asia
CMI was a pioneer in Asian development research. The current research focus includes issues of poverty, corruption and development aid.
Development studies at CMI started with a focus on South Asia. Economists at CMI became involved in macroeconomic planning in Pakistan through Harvard University in the late 1950s. This resulted in contacts with East Pakistan and Bangladesh from independence in 1971. The cooperation agreement between CMI and Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies (BIDS), lasting 25 years, was the most important of several engagements in Bangladesh. One output from this cooperation is a unique collection of literature on Bangladesh in the CMI library. CMI researchers have also worked on Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. This region continue to be a priority area for CMI, but changes in staff and fluctuating demand for analysis in relation to Norwegian development aid have resulted in a decline in activity in some countries. Currently the following are CMI's active engagements:
Nepal: Studies of social exclusion in cooperation with Tribhuvan University (Hatlebakk, Stokke, Suhrke)
Sri Lanka: Studies of aid relations in cooperation with University of Colombo (Jerve)
Bangladesh: Exploring research cooperation with Centre for Policy Dialogue and BIDS (Wiig)
Southeast Asia
CMI's involvement in this part of Asia started in Malaysia with assistance in developing the new economic policy at the end of the 1960s. The work of, then CMI director, Just Faaland is highly respected among leading Malaysian politicians and scholars and he remains today official advisor to the Prime Minister. CMI has carried out several studies in Vietnam of Swedish aid projects. In Indonesia, CMI researcher were involved in studies in the 1990s of deforestation and of involuntary resettlement. In the newly established research programme Politics of Faith Indonesia is one country in focus. Current engagements in the region are:
Malaysia: Studies of economic inequality in cooperation with Center for Economic Development and Ethnic Relations, University of Malaya, Malaysia (Villanger, Kolstad)
Indonesia: Religion and security (Telle)
Vietnam: Poverty alleviation programmes (Jerve)
Central Asia
This is the last Asian region to enter CMI's repertoire of area competence, primarily with entry of Afghanistan as a major recipient of Norwegian development assistance in the wake of 9.11. Astri Suhrke started publishing on Afghanistan long before this event and her expertise was in high demand with the build up of post-war reconstruction aid. Furthermore, the recruitment of Arne Strand, with field experience from the country, made CMI a centre in Norway for studies on Afghanistan. Current activities are:
Research in Sri Lanka and Indonesia deals with conflict issues, and Afghanistan is undoubtedly the country where CMI researchers are most strongly engaged in the field of peacebuilding.
