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The files are classified into categories by study fields and listed alphabetically therein.

There are 13 files, weighing 80.3 KiB with 2,245 hits in total.

Displaying 1 to 13 of 13 files.

Economics/Development

Download: Climate Change And North-South Divide: Between and within  Climate Change And North-South Divide: Between and within
» unknown - 108 hits - December 14, 2007
By PRUM Virak
virak_prum[at]yahoo[dot]com

Abstract: The traditional North-South divide has persisted throughout the negotiations on climate change. Divergent state interests made striking a right balance between development and environmental protection an elusive endeavors as negotiators were striving to adopt a global climate regime. Four principles for the international environmental law are of particular concern: the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, the principle of equity, the precautionary principle, and the principle of sustainable development. With economic development being the overriding priority in developing countries, the negotiations leading to the Kyoto Protocol tend to prove that principles could be interpreted in different ways to fit particular interests. This study explains the confrontation between the north and the south and argues that climate change has by far strengthened the North and South divide both between and within. Accordingly, it concludes that there is a need to devise new principles.

Download: Commercialization of Microfinance: A Case Study of ACLEDA Bank of Cambodia  Commercialization of Microfinance: A Case Study of ACLEDA Bank of Cambodia
» unknown - 246 hits - March 31, 2008
Master's Thesis by Heng Sophea
h_sophea[at]hotmail[dot]com

Objective: This study aims to investigate and analyze the implications of transformation of ACLEDA from a microfinance NGO into a commercial bank, and seek to understand whether ACLEDA has expanded or narrowed the position of its NGO’s mission to achieve social development. The study also identifies the strategy of transformation process affecting the NGO’s objective in promoting the social mission. The analysis focuses on the changes in the outreach of its services, its targeted clients, household welfare of the poor clients, and on whether the transformed ACLEDA is closer to or farther from its original poor clients. Especially, the study examines advantages and disadvantages of ACLEDA’s transformation affecting its poor clients, which focus on features and indicators of demand and supply sides rather than on averages of loan outstanding balance. Moreover, the study investigates and determines whether ACLEDA is upgrading or retaining its original target market following the transformation. In the process of transformation from a microfinance NGO into a commercial bank, there are some critical issues concerning the transforming procedures expressing concern over changes of target market from poor clients to less poor or rich clients or from micro business loans to small and medium business loans. This comes to people’s concerns because some poor are unable to access microfinance services as a result of transformation by some NGOs, and other poor clients are dropped out from transformed institutions due to high condition of collateral requirement. This study also aims to reflect whether ACLEDA drifts from its original mission after the transformation process. With this regard, the study is to find out how transformation impacts the position of microfinance NGO’s mission towards poverty reduction, and to understand the useful experience of a transforming microfinance NGO into a commercial bank by maintaining the adherence to achieve the mission of poverty alleviation.

Download: Global Capitalism versus Climate Change: The business of growing business must be environmentally responsible  Global Capitalism versus Climate Change: The business of growing business must be environmentally responsible
» unknown - 92 hits - May 1, 2008
Author: HENG Dyna
nash_heng[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]jp

Summary: The business of growing business must be environmentally responsible business. To overcome the climate change issue, I argue that the driving force of CSR is not be enough to save our planet unless companies act in their business interests rather than moral responsibility or risk management. Individuals, who are both consumers and investors, have the power to put pressure on firms and shape the direction of business operations. In other words, individuals have the power to changes the behavior of states and private sector through their responsibility and values.

Consumers’ responsibility and values is a strong driving force to save our planet as a result of virtuous cycle of global consumers` environmental consciousness, corporate acting in their self-interests, and inter-governmental cooperation. Consumer is the king and thus consumer’s responsibility, values, tastes, and needs are much more powerful than CSR to push global capitalism to produce innovation, green IT, and low-carbon society.

Download: Governance, Foreign Direct Investment, and Economic Growth  Governance, Foreign Direct Investment, and Economic Growth
» unknown - 332 hits - April 15, 2008
By Penghuy NGOV, PhD candidate of Nagoya University Graduate School of International Development
penghuyn[dot]yahoo[dot]com

Abstract: This study focuses mainly on the impacts of governance in attracting direct foreign investment (FDI) and promoting domestic investment and growth performance in three different income groups of countries: low income, middle income, and high income groups. By using intra group regression method, we find that, in general, governance is positively correlated with per capita income growth rate in the middle income and high income groups. However, no correlation can be found in the low income group.

In low income countries, governance is found to have positive relationship with total investment (domestic investment plus FDI) ratio but not with FDI inflow ratio, suggesting the impacts of governance on domestic investment. However, in the middle income countries, despite differences among governance elements, governance is generally found to have more influence on FDI inflow than on domestic investment. Interestingly, in high income countries, governance shows very limited impacts on both domestic investment and FDI, suggesting the independence of investment decisions from governance factors.

Download: Inflationary Wage Increase under Currency Substitution  Inflationary Wage Increase under Currency Substitution
» unknown - 276 hits - February 6, 2008
Author: HENG Dyna
Type of paper: undergraduate thesis report
nash_heng[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]jp

Abstract: This paper studies the effects of an inflationary wage increase for government staffs on the welfare of their own and private employees, and social welfare, with cash-in-advance constraints under currency substitution in an overlapping generation model. We show that there exists a Laffer curve relationship of seigniorage to finance such an inflationary wage increase in the long run. The inflationary wage increase has a negative effect on the welfare level of private employees, but has an ambiguous effect on that of government staffs and social welfare.

Author's message: "I thought it would be good if other Cambodian students read and give me some comments. It would be also helpful for other undergraduate who want to research on monetary policy and central banking, I guess."

Download: Reforming Cambodian Local Administration: Is Institutional History Unreceptive for Decentralization?  Reforming Cambodian Local Administration: Is Institutional History Unreceptive for Decentralization?
» 80.3 KiB - 208 hits - December 14, 2007
Author: PRUM Virak
virak_prum[at]yahoo[dot]com
Type of document: Master's thesis paper

Recent studies have shown that decentralization in Cambodia is limited by both cultural (Blunt and Turner 2005) and legal constraints (Prum 2005). However, little is known of the overall development of its local administration from the proto-State till 2001, the date of the adoption of the law on decentralization. Also, the birth of Khum administration (communal level), which is the only level covered by the current decentralization policy, has been taken for granted. By providing a close examination on how primitive local administration had evolved with an emphasis on the periods prior to and during the French colonization, this article argues that decentralization is not an unacceptable reform when viewed with the institutional history.

Download: The Win-win-win Globalization and Japanese Companies  The Win-win-win Globalization and Japanese Companies
» unknown - 95 hits - December 14, 2007
Author: HENG Dyna
Type of document: Essay (Award winner of JFTC Essay Competition 2007)
nash_heng[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]jp

Summary: Financial globalization is one of the key trends that have reshaped the global economy. Meanwhile, countries have become more interdependent and competitive than ever. With the surge in capital flows, the rise of developing countries, and intensified global competition, how should Japanese companies compete and thrive?

I argue that synergy between Japan’s technology and human resources with the rise of financial globalization is a critical factor for Japanese companies’ success in the next stage. Three things need to accompany the synergy. First, Japan needs to leverage the international capital flows. The acquisition of capital will help Japan secure an advantageous position. Second, Japanese companies should remain to be “leading geese” by constantly strengthening their competitiveness and capability of leverage in technology, finance, and human resources. Third, by being “leading geese”, Japanese companies can reinforce their brand image and create more demand for their products through collaboration and leverage of resources in emerging economies.

Japan is an export-oriented economy. The threat for the Japanese companies is not only from other countries’ companies, but also from the huge gap between its economic powers and its Asian friends’. To prop up its growth sustainability and further growth, Japan needs to help fill the gap. In this matter, I am convinced that Japanese companies can create demand and renews their brand image at the same time by contributing to the stability and poverty reduction in the region. As Japanese population began to shrink, the efficient utilization of low-wage labor and the acquisition of brainpower in developing countries will help solve the labor-force problem and help expand Japanese companies` operation, share, and brand in the global economy.

I believe that the combination of Japanese technology and global capital can produce win-win-win outcomes for the participating stakeholders. It does not only benefit Japanese companies and the capitalists but also help push host countries of investment out of poverty. It is, thus, the interest of Japanese companies to realize that combination.

Law

Download: Decentralization within the Centripetal Expression of State Power: Re-Guiding Cambodian Statutory Devolution  Decentralization within the Centripetal Expression of State Power: Re-Guiding Cambodian Statutory Devolution
» unknown - 110 hits - October 11, 2007
By PRUM Virak
virak_prum[at]yahoo[dot]com

Abstract: The present central-local relations in Cambodian local government system are of the ‘integrated’ or integrationist model (Kjelberg and Dente 1988) in which the division of central-local functions is blurred, making any real shift of power from the center to local governments impossible to be found. On the one hand, an overall view reveals that the present local governments, though holding devolved powers, are not provided enough resources to fulfill their responsibilities. On the other hand, the ‘general powers’ vested in them to deal with the welfare of the citizens are only nominal and are not encouraging enough to urge the judiciary to favor the local power for lack of a clear separation of functions. This integrated decentralization completely depends on the central government’s commitment as to the extent of which it eventually intends to let local governments affect the well being of local residents. This article provides directions for some crucial steps to take both in the short and long run, without which Cambodian devolution can only be a lipservice and that re-centralization would remain the dominating term.

Download: Election systems in the world (in KHMER)  Election systems in the world (in KHMER)
» unknown - 121 hits - December 14, 2007
Permission for upload by UN Sam An
un_saman[at]yahoo[dot]com

Download: Reforming Cambodian Local Administration: Is Institutional History Unreceptive for Decentralization?  Reforming Cambodian Local Administration: Is Institutional History Unreceptive for Decentralization?
» unknown - 212 hits - December 14, 2007
Author: PRUM Virak
virak_prum[at]yahoo[dot]com
Type of document: Master's thesis paper

Recent studies have shown that decentralization in Cambodia is limited by both cultural (Blunt and Turner 2005) and legal constraints (Prum 2005). However, little is known of the overall development of its local administration from the proto-State till 2001, the date of the adoption of the law on decentralization. Also, the birth of Khum administration (communal level), which is the only level covered by the current decentralization policy, has been taken for granted. By providing a close examination on how primitive local administration had evolved with an emphasis on the periods prior to and during the French colonization, this article argues that decentralization is not an unacceptable reform when viewed with the institutional history.

Download: Research on Better Senate for Cambodia  Research on Better Senate for Cambodia
» unknown - 155 hits - December 14, 2007
Author: UN Sam An
Type of document: Master's thesis paper
un_saman[at]yahoo[dot]com

Abtract: After the first general election in 1993, Cambodia has adopted a new constitution that helped to identify the nation a constitutional monarchy. Besides the symbolism of monarchy and the popular sovereignty, Cambodia adapted the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. Moreover, the new government system has been regarded as parliamentary because the National Assembly approved a ‘vote of confidence’ to form the new government. The main structures of the constitution are constitutional monarchy with parliamentary system...

Download: RETHINKING THE ROOTS OF LOCAL AUTONOMY: Preamble to the Cambodian Local Government In Search Of Theoretical Foundation  RETHINKING THE ROOTS OF LOCAL AUTONOMY: Preamble to the Cambodian Local Government In Search Of Theoretical Foundation
» unknown - 99 hits - December 14, 2007
Author: PRUM Virak
Type of document: Master's thesis report
virak_prum[at]yahoo[dot]com

Abstract: There are but a few people who know about local government system in Cambodia, especially in terms of its problematic roots and theoretical foundation. This thesis explains the present Cambodian central-local relations in light of modern theories on the local autonomy viewed with experiences drawn from the Japanese context.

First, this study will lay down a framework for analyzing the very facts deeply rooted inside the traditional politics of centralization; the intra-governmental relations, starting from the mixture of politics with the administration, the local interests deprived of guarantee, and the miss application of the theoretical local autonomy. Second, this paper fully discusses how these pre-conditions were actually translated into the legislation as an expression of state power. Finally, this thesis re-establishes the roots of the local autonomy based on four combined means involving the Constitution, the separation of the central-local powers, and the theories introduced to the judicial protection. The last part of the study will argue that local politics, to be mastered by local citizens, is one vital pre-condition of the “populist local autonomy”.

Download: The Implementation of Cambodia's Laws on Land Tenure: Squatters on Private Land  The Implementation of Cambodia's Laws on Land Tenure: Squatters on Private Land
» unknown - 191 hits - May 13, 2008
Author: Hap Phalthy
Type of document: Master's Thesis
hphalthy[at]yahoo[dot]com

Abstract: There is an urgent need for Cambodia to ensure that land management be persistently and fairly implemented towards all the social strata of the population. How the land management and implementation of laws and regulations influence the public daily life is the main focus of this paper. Social disarray cannot be well prevented unless the country is based on the rule of law. Similarly, land crisis can be predicted if the government does not have a strong political will to manage the nation's land. The possibility to get the benefit from the land requires that we find ways to ensure the fair land distribution to every citizen and encourage land use. Each relevant government agency plays a vital role in achieving the goal.

Methodologically, this paper has resulted from interviewing more than 100 squatters and some NGOs' staff whose work relates to the improvement of the living standards of the squatters during the 2006 summer. This research relies on legal documents from government agencies and other related documents from NGOs. The actual understanding from this fieldwork makes it possible to realize what the facts are and how to analyze those facts and use them to achieve a better outcome.

Overall, the findings propose two main legal suggestions. First, the stability of land titles which prevents the owners from any fear of losing ownership and also encourages the titleholders to invest in land should be seriously taken into account. Second, adverse possession may allow the adverse possessors to claim for titles of ownership if there are imprecise aspects in the status of particular properties. The law of adverse possession plays an important role in some developed countries such as England and the United States; and developing countries such as Brazil and Peru.