Strengthening Economic Resilience in Monsoon Asia

Researcher(s)

Katherine Gibson
Ann Hill
Lisa Law
Darlene Occeña Gutierrez

Project Location

Southeast Asia

This project is funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (Project Number 150102285) 2015-2018

The Australian-based team consists of economic geographers Professor Katherine Gibson (ICS), Dr Ann Hill, (University of Canberra) and urban geographer Dr Lisa Law from the Centre for Disaster Studies, James Cook University (an institution leading the way in addressing critical challenges facing the tropics). Associate Professor Darlene Occeña-Gutierrez, Department of Geography, University of the Philippines, leads the South East Asian side of the team.

Sharing, reciprocity and resource pooling are at the frontline of recovery and relief when economic crisis or disaster hits Monsoon Asia. This research sheds light on cases where these economic practices have been innovatively harnessed to diversify livelihoods and build economic resilience. Working with contemporary Asian scholars, practitioners in the disaster field and a data set gleaned from multiple sources, including mid-20th century tropical geography texts, the project brings to the fore a regional landscape of diverse economic practices across Monsoon Asia. A cross-regional online knowledge community has formed to explore how this asset base might be mobilised towards more effective local development and disaster response. See Keywords of Community Economies in Monsoon Asia: 

 https://communityeconomiesasia.wordpress.com/

The project aims to: 

1. Advance a regional understanding of diverse economic practices and map this relatively hidden geography of Monsoon Asia.

2. Analyse specific cases of community resilience in the Philippines and Indonesia using the theory of community economies developed by Gibson-Graham.

3. Develop knowledge networks to communicate insights into resilience building and forge new economic development pathways for communities across Asia.

Project outputs include:

Community Economies in Monsoon Asia: Keywords and Key Reflections authored by 22 research collaborators

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apv.12186

Bamboo Bridge Film https://vimeo.com/243601859

Project URL

https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/ics/research/projects/strengthening_economic_resilience_in_monsoon_asia

Silt covered fields along the Mandulong River