Plenary Session IV: Peddling Inequality to Social Sustainability in ASEAN

Oct 25
Music Hall, Art & Culture Building

Inequality remains one of the most formidable challenges for most countries in ASEAN, affecting their social stability and condemning the majority of their population to only a small share of the benefits from economic development. This panel aims to provoke new thinking on the nature of inequality in ASEAN and encourage creative ideas on this problem’s solutions. An understanding of inequality from different perspectives is provided, with the focus on insights from actual experiences of people's lives. To complement such perspectives, the panel will raise questions over the meaning and relevance of development intervention in improving people's living conditions. The discussion will also encompass certain transformative social policies, already implemented and impacting the lives of millions, ranging from decentralization in Indonesia and social reform in the Philippines to housing policy in Singapore. Lastly, a broader perspective on policies to promote sustainable development for ASEAN will be discussed.