South-Eastern Asia is one of the most actively developing regions in the world. In spite of the fact that the majority of countries in this region are traditionally discussed as underdeveloped in relation to the economic and political factors, the situation has changed significantly during the 2010s (Butts, Mitchell, & Berkoh, 2012, p. 91). Today, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia among the other countries of the region attract millions of investments and thousands of tourists and migrants. That is why it is possible to state that certain changes in politics, economics, and society have influenced the observed progress in the region.
The first point to discuss is the political changes. Several states of the region make only the first steps in developing as free democratic states as a result of overcoming military regimes. Consequently, the recent and current political reforms in such states as Vietnam and Timor-Leste demonstrate that these countries start at the path of development according to the Western political patterns and following the principles of democracy (Butts et al., 2012, p. 92). Furthermore, the governments in the South-Eastern Asian countries also propose regulations and programs that support the development of business in the region.
Thus, the economic growth in the countries is observed because of changes in the states’ policies regarding international trade and because of the active industrialization. Today, Singapore attracts billions of capitals from all over the world because of its status as the economic center of the region (Liang, 2005, p. 49). Furthermore, the rates of foreign investments increase in Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia because of the changes in policies regarding the development of businesses.
Many large corporations choose the South-Eastern Asian region in order to invest in human resources and raw materials there (Daniels, Radebaugh, & Sullivan, 2010, p. 68). As a result, focusing on economic modernization, the leaders of the states concentrate on changing policies and regulations related to the development of the market, tourism, and hospitality industry. In addition, economists in these states develop strategies to attract more foreign investment and support the actively developing industries that were not previously supported in the former agrarian states.
Referring to the current social changes observed in the region, it is important to pay attention to the increased growth of population because of the high birth rates, low levels of mortality, and high levels of migration. During recent years, the population growth in the South-Eastern Asian countries is discussed as a social anomaly.
However, these remarkable changes lead to the progress of urban life and to the modernization of transportation systems and infrastructure. The current population of Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia is highly diverse in relation to ethnic, cultural, and language aspects and factors (Achwan, 2012, p. 94). That is why focusing on the unique ethnic composition of the region, the governments propose new educational and social programs aimed at the development of a diverse society.
From this point, the observed changes in the political, economic, and social lives of the nations in the South-Eastern Asian region can be discussed as contributing to the current growth in such countries as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Malaysia among others.
These countries became interesting for foreign investors and corporations, and the governments began to pay more attention to the economic potential of these countries as the centers of tourism. In spite of the fact that these states still suffer from high levels of inflation, poverty, corruption, and inappropriateness of banking systems, the observed changes in these areas support the idea that the identified problems can be overcome during the next years.
References
Achwan, R. (2012). Hybridising state and ethnicity in an Indonesian region. Asian Social Science, 8(6), 94-103.
Butts, H., Mitchell, I., & Berkoh, A. (2012). Economic growth dynamics and short-term external debt in Thailand. The Journal of Developing Areas, 46(1), 91-111.
Daniels, J., Radebaugh, L., & Sullivan, D. (2010). International business. New York, NY: Pearson.
Liang, M. (2005). Singapore’s trade policies: Priorities and options. ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 22(1), 49-59.