Reforming Corporate Governance in Southeast Asia : Economics, Politics, and Regulations

This multi-disciplinary volume provides a critical examination of corporate governance reform in Southeast Asia especially after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. The weaknesses in the corporate sector, such as poor investment structure, weak legal and accounting systems, faulty financial practices, questionable political interventions, are some of the pertinent issues raised by the authors, who include legal specialists, corporate practitioners, economists, and political scientists. Policy measures to improve corporate transparency, institutional accountability, and fiscal prudence are also proposed. The volume provides interested readers and policy-makers in Southeast Asia with the most current research and policy options on corporate governance reform, and advocates more committed and effective governance changes in the future. CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOREWORD INTRODUCTION Part I. Overviews 1. Corporate Governance: An Alternative Model 2. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REFORMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 3. Disclosure, Reporting, and Derivative Actions: Empowering Shareholders in Southeast Asia 4. Governance Reforms in the Banking Sector in Southeast Asia: Economics and Institutional Imperatives Part II. Country Studies 5. Corporate Governance Reforms in Malaysia: Issues and 85 Challenges 6. Corporate Governance in Malaysia: Reforms in Light of Post-1998 Crisis 7. Indonesia’s Tolerated Low-Speed Reform of Corporate Governance 8. The Political Economy of Corporate Governance in Indonesia 9. Building Good Corporate Governance after the Crisis: The Experience of Thailand 10. National Corporate Governance Committee: Three Disciplines for Good Corporate Governance in Thailand 11. State of Corporate Governance Reforms in Singapore: Economic Realities, Political Institutions, and Regulatory Frameworks 12. Corporate Governance Reforms and the Management of the GLCs in Singapore: Pressures, Problems, and Paradoxes 13. From the Inside Out: Reforming Corporate Governance in the Philippines by Engaging the Private Sector 14. Corporate Governance of Financial Institutions: The Philippine Case 15. Promoting Good Corporate Governance Practices in Vietnam: A New Element in the Economic Reform Agenda 16. Corporate Governance in Vietnam’s Equitized Companies: Progressive Policies and Lax Realities INDEX

From China to Facebookistan, the Internet has transformed global commerce. A cyber-law expert argues that we must free Internet trade while simultaneously protecting consumers.

On the ancient Silk Road, treasure-laden caravans made their arduous way through deserts and mountain passes, establishing trade between Asia and the civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean. Today’s electronic Silk Roads ferry information across continents, enabling individuals and corporations anywhere to provide or receive services without obtaining a visa. But the legal infrastructure for such trade is yet rudimentary and uncertain. If an event in cyberspace occurs at once everywhere and nowhere, what law applies? How can consumers be protected when engaging with companies across the world?

In this accessible book, cyber-law expert Anupam Chander provides the first thorough discussion of the law that relates to global Internet commerce. Addressing up-to-the-minute examples, such as Google’s struggles with China, the Pirate Bay’s skirmishes with Hollywood, and the outsourcing of services to India, the author insightfully analyzes the difficulties of regulating Internet trade. Chander then lays out a framework for future policies, showing how countries can dismantle barriers while still protecting consumer interests.