Showing papers on "East Asia published in 2020"

Governance, technology and citizen behavior in pandemic: Lessons from COVID-19 in East Asia

Abstract: Corona Virus (CODID-19) was first reported in Wuhan in December 2019, then spread in different parts of China, and gradually became a global pandemic in March 2020. While the death toll is still increasing, the epicenter of casualty has shifted from Asia to Europe, and that of the affected people has shifted to USA. This paper analyzes the responses in East Asian countries, in China, Japan and South Korea, and provides some commonalities and lessons. While countries have different governance mechanism, it was found that a few governance decisions in respective countries made a difference, along with strong community solidarity and community behavior. Extensive use of emerging technologies is made along with medical/health care treatment to make the response more effective and reduce the risk of the spread of the disease. Although the pandemic was a global one, its responses were local, depending on the local governance, socio-economic and cultural context.

Ancient DNA indicates human population shifts and admixture in northern and southern China

Abstract: Human genetic history in East Asia is poorly understood. To clarify population relationships, we obtained genome-wide data from 26 ancient individuals from northern and southern East Asia spanning 9500 to 300 years ago. Genetic differentiation in this region was higher in the past than the present, which reflects a major episode of admixture involving northern East Asian ancestry spreading across southern East Asia after the Neolithic, thereby transforming the genetic ancestry of southern China. Mainland southern East Asian and Taiwan Strait island samples from the Neolithic show clear connections with modern and ancient individuals with Austronesian-related ancestry, which supports an origin in southern China for proto-Austronesians. Connections among Neolithic coastal groups from Siberia and Japan to Vietnam indicate that migration and gene flow played an important role in the prehistory of coastal Asia.

The economic burden of chronic diseases: Estimates and projections for China, Japan, and South Korea

Abstract: We propose a novel framework to analyse the macroeconomic impact of noncommunicable diseases. We incorporate measures of disease prevalence into a human capital augmented production function, which enables us to determine the economic costs of chronic health conditions in terms of foregone gross domestic product (GDP). Unlike previously adopted frameworks, this approach allows us to account for i) variations in human capital for workers in different age groups, ii) mortality and morbidity effects of non-communicable diseases, and iii) the treatment costs of diseases. We apply our methodology to China, Japan, and South Korea, and estimate the economic burden of chronic conditions in five domains (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes, and mental health conditions). Overall, total losses associated with these non-communicable diseases over the period 2010-2030 are $16 trillion for China (measured in real USD with the base year 2010), $5.7 trillion for Japan, and $1.5 trillion for South Korea. Our results also highlight the limits of cost-effectiveness analysis by identifying some intervention strategies to reduce disease prevalence in China that are cost beneficial and therefore a rational use of resources, though they are not cost-effective as judged by conventional thresholds.

Measuring the Energy Saving and CO2 Emissions Reduction Potential Under China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract: Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries are major energy producers and consumers in the world, and they have enormous potential for energy cooperation, energy saving, and CO2 emissions reduction due to their various resource endowments. However, little quantitative research has been conducted under the BRI in the same framework. Therefore, by developing a data envelopment analysis optimisation model combined with the window analysis method, this paper investigates the energy performance of BRI countries for the period from 1995 to 2015, and evaluate the potential of energy saving and CO2 emissions reduction for each BRI country. The results show that, first, the average energy performance of 56 BRI countries is about 0.69, with evident difference across regions and countries. Specifically, in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe and Central Asia, energy performance is relatively lower, and their averages are 0.59 and 0.60, respectively; in particular, Ukraine has the lowest energy performance among the 56 BRI countries (0.24); while the energy performance in Middle East and North Africa and South Asia appears relatively higher (0.80 and 0.89, respectively). Second, these 56 BRI countries have great energy saving potential, about 9.95 billion metric tonnes of oil equivalent from 1995 to 2015. Among them, Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and Pacific, and Middle East and North Africa make relatively larger contribution. Finally, these 56 BRI countries may produce potential CO2 emissions reduction of 50.87 billion metric tonnes during the study period, and Europe and Central Asia and East Asia and Pacific contribute the most (45.18% and 25.53%, respectively).

Estimating COVID-19 outbreak risk through air travel.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Substantial limitations have been imposed on passenger air travel to reduce transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 between regions and countries. However, as case numbers decrease, air travel will gradually resume. We considered a future scenario in which case numbers are low and air travel returns to normal. Under that scenario, there will be a risk of outbreaks in locations worldwide due to imported cases. We estimated the risk of different locations acting as sources of future coronavirus disease 2019 outbreaks elsewhere. METHODS: We use modelled global air travel data and population density estimates from locations worldwide to analyse the risk that 1364 airports are sources of future coronavirus disease 2019 outbreaks. We use a probabilistic, branching-process-based approach that considers the volume of air travelers between airports and the reproduction number at each location, accounting for local population density. RESULTS: Under the scenario we model, we identify airports in East Asia as having the highest risk of acting as sources of future outbreaks. Moreover, we investigate the locations most likely to cause outbreaks due to air travel in regions that are large and potentially vulnerable to outbreaks: India, Brazil and Africa. We find that outbreaks in India and Brazil are most likely to be seeded by individuals travelling from within those regions. We find that this is also true for less vulnerable regions, such as the United States, Europe and China. However, outbreaks in Africa due to imported cases are instead most likely to be initiated by passengers travelling from outside the continent. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in flight volumes and destination population densities creates a non-uniform distribution of the risk that different airports pose of acting as the source of an outbreak. Accurate quantification of the spatial distribution of outbreak risk can therefore facilitate optimal allocation of resources for effective targeting of public health interventions.

Risk of COVID-19 importation to the Pacific islands through global air travel.

Abstract: On 30 January 2020, WHO declared coronavirus (COVID-19) a global public health emergency. As of 12 March 2020, 125 048 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 118 countries had been reported. On 12 March 2020, the first case in the Pacific islands was reported in French Polynesia; no other Pacific island country or territory has reported cases. The purpose of our analysis is to show how travellers may introduce COVID-19 into the Pacific islands and discuss the role robust health systems play in protecting health and reducing transmission risk. We analyse travel and Global Health Security Index data using a scoring tool to produce quantitative estimates of COVID-19 importation risk, by departing and arriving country. Our analysis indicates that, as of 12 March 2020, the highest risk air routes by which COVID-19 may be imported into the Pacific islands are from east Asian countries (specifically, China, Korea and Japan) to north Pacific airports (likely Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or, to a less extent, Palau); or from China, Japan, Singapore, the United States of America or France to south Pacific ports (likely, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia or New Caledonia). Other importation routes include from other east Asian countries to Guam, and from Australia, New Zealand and other European countries to the south Pacific. The tool provides a useful method for assessing COVID-19 importation risk and may be useful in other settings.

Rising between-workplace inequalities in high-income countries.

Abstract: It is well documented that earnings inequalities have risen in many high-income countries. Less clear are the linkages between rising income inequality and workplace dynamics, how within- and between-workplace inequality varies across countries, and to what extent these inequalities are moderated by national labor market institutions. In order to describe changes in the initial between- and within-firm market income distribution we analyze administrative records for 2,000,000,000+ job years nested within 50,000,000+ workplace years for 14 high-income countries in North America, Scandinavia, Continental and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. We find that countries vary a great deal in their levels and trends in earnings inequality but that the between-workplace share of wage inequality is growing in almost all countries examined and is in no country declining. We also find that earnings inequalities and the share of between-workplace inequalities are lower and grew less strongly in countries with stronger institutional employment protections and rose faster when these labor market protections weakened. Our findings suggest that firm-level restructuring and increasing wage inequalities between workplaces are more central contributors to rising income inequality than previously recognized.

Development of Climate and Earth System Models in China: Past Achievements and New CMIP6 Results

Abstract: The Earth-Climate System Model (ECSM) is an important platform for multi-disciplinary and multi-sphere integration research, and its development is at the frontier of international geosciences, especially in the field of global change. The research and development (R&D) of ECSM in China began in the 1980s and have achieved great progress. In China, ECSMs are now mainly developed at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ministries, and universities. Following a brief review of the development history of Chinese ECSMs, this paper summarized the technical characteristics of nine Chinese ECSMs participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 and preliminarily assessed the basic performances of four Chinese models in simulating the global climate and the climate in East Asia. The projected changes of global precipitation and surface air temperature and the associated relationship with the equilibrium climate sensitivity under four shared socioeconomic path scenarios were also discussed. Finally, combined with the international situation, from the perspective of further improvement, eight directions were proposed for the future development of Chinese ECSMs.

Impacts of genomic research on soybean improvement in East Asia

Abstract: It has been commonly accepted that soybean domestication originated in East Asia. Although East Asia has the historical merit in soybean production, the USA has become the top soybean producer in the world since 1950s. Following that, Brazil and Argentina have been the major soybean producers since 1970s and 1990s, respectively. China has once been the exporter of soybean to Japan before 1990s, yet she became a net soybean importer as Japan and the Republic of Korea do. Furthermore, the soybean yield per unit area in East Asia has stagnated during the past decade. To improve soybean production and enhance food security in these East Asian countries, much investment has been made, especially in the breeding of better performing soybean germplasms. As a result, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea have become three important centers for soybean genomic research. With new technologies, the rate and precision of the identification of important genomic loci associated with desired traits from germplasm collections or mutants have increased significantly. Genome editing on soybean is also becoming more established. The year 2019 marked a new era for crop genome editing in the commercialization of the first genome-edited plant product, which is a high-oleic-acid soybean oil. In this review, we have summarized the latest developments in soybean breeding technologies and the remarkable progress in soybean breeding-related research in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

Civil Society and the State in Democratic East Asia : Between Entanglement and Contention in Post High Growth

Abstract: This volume focuses on the new and diversifying interactions between civil society and the state in contemporary East Asia by including cases of entanglement and contention in the three fully consolidated democracies in the area: Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The book argues that all three countries have reached a new era of post high-growth and mature democracy, leading to new social anxieties and increasing normative diversity, which have direct repercussions on the relationship between the state and civil society. It introduces a comparative perspective in identifying and discussing similarities and differences in East Asia based on in-depth case studies in the fields of environmental issues, national identities as well as neoliberalism and social inclusion that go beyond the classic dichotomy of state vs "liberal" civil society.

Review: Myopia control strategies recommendations from the 2018 WHO/IAPB/BHVI Meeting on Myopia.

Abstract: Myopia is a major public health problem, particularly in East Asia. In this summary report, we present key findings and recommendations on strategies for myopia control discussed during the meeting jointly organised by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and the Brien Holden Vision Institute. First, myopia prevalence was reported to be increasing, with up to 80% of junior school students with myopia in East Asia. However, common challenges in implementing myopia control strategies on a national level included lack of school screening programme, and paucity of accurate prevalence data. Second, there continues to be broad public misconception about myopia and myopia control, including lack of parental awareness and resistance to wearing spectacles. Third, best practices for myopia management were shared, and recommendations for policy implementation are presented in this review. Key recommendations from this meeting include increased public education to raise parent and teacher awareness; encouragement of increased outdoor time of 2–3 hours per day for schoolchildren—as a practical public health intervention that has been shown to potentially reduce onset and progression of myopia. Governments and non-governmental organisations are encouraged to collaborate, especially education and health ministries to develop national myopia prevention programme. Lastly, it is important to emphasise that the key recommendations, such as increasing outdoor time for schoolchildren, are specific for East Asian nations in the Western Pacific region and may not be entirely applicable for Western nations.

Challenges and considerations of applying nature-based solutions in low- and middle-income countries in Southeast and East Asia

Abstract: Low- and middle-income countries in Southeast and East Asia face a range of challenges related to the rapid pace of urbanisation in the region, the scale of pollution, climate change, loss of ecosystem services and associated difficulties for ecological restoration. Possible pathways towards a more sustainable future lie in the applications of nature-based solutions (NBS). However, there is relatively little literature on the application of NBS in the region, particularly Southeast Asia. In this paper we address this gap by assessing the socio-ecological challenges to the application of NBS in the region – one of the most globally biodiverse. We first provide an overview and background on NBS and its underpinnings in biodiversity and ecosystem services. We then present a typology describing five unique challenges for the application of NBS in the region: (1) Characteristics of urbanisation; (2) Biophysical environmental and climatic context; (3) Environmental risks and challenges for restoration; (4) Human nature relationships and conflicts; and (5) Policy and governance context. Exploiting the opportunities through South-South and North-South collaboration to address the challenges of NBS in Southeast and East Asia needs to be a priority for government, planners and academics.

Ancient Jomon genome sequence analysis sheds light on migration patterns of early East Asian populations.

Abstract: Anatomically modern humans reached East Asia more than 40,000 years ago. However, key questions still remain unanswered with regard to the route(s) and the number of wave(s) in the dispersal into East Eurasia. Ancient genomes at the edge of the region may elucidate a more detailed picture of the peopling of East Eurasia. Here, we analyze the whole-genome sequence of a 2,500-year-old individual (IK002) from the main-island of Japan that is characterized with a typical Jomon culture. The phylogenetic analyses support multiple waves of migration, with IK002 forming a basal lineage to the East and Northeast Asian genomes examined, likely representing some of the earliest-wave migrants who went north from Southeast Asia to East Asia. Furthermore, IK002 shows strong genetic affinity with the indigenous Taiwan aborigines, which may support a coastal route of the Jomon-ancestry migration. This study highlights the power of ancient genomics to provide new insights into the complex history of human migration into East Eurasia. Takashi Gakuhari, Shigeki Nakagome et al. report the genomic analysis on a 2.5 kya individual from the ancient Jomon culture in present-day Japan. Phylogenetic analysis with comparison to other Eurasian sequences suggests early migration patterns in Asia and provides insight into the genetic affinities between peoples of the region.

Inequalities by energy sources: An assessment of environmental quality.

Abstract: Energy demand is rising day by day, driven mainly by the development of countries. At the same time, uneven economic growth in countries is the prime cause of inequality in energy consumption. Keeping in view the worth of energy in the growth process, this study quantifies the impact of energy inequalities and trade on environmental quality over the period 1995-2018 for 57 countries. The Theil approach is used to quantify inter-and intra-regional disparities in five energy sources; oil, coal, natural gas hydroelectricity, and renewable energy. The results show that North America has the highest oil consumption inequality between the regions while East Asia & Pacific has the highest index value within the regions. Coal consumption inequality is declining in North America, but not in East Asia and the Pacific. Europe & Central Asia, and North America have the highest inequalities in natural gas consumption between the regions. Inequality is shrinking in hydropower consumption between the regions, however, such trend has not loomed within the regions. Europe & Central Asia and East Asia & Pacific have major renewable consumption inequalities within the regions. Generally, there is a decreasing temporal trend in energy consumption inequalities of all energy sources. The GMM technique is applied to investigate the impact of energy inequalities and trade openness on environmental quality. The results reveal that energy inequalities degrade environmental quality. Moreover, trade has a positive impact on environmental quality. However, democratic countries can be advantageous to improve the environmental quality. The study implies that countries should take actions to reduce energy inequalities within and between the regions. Specialization in production through trade can also be an option for improvement in the environment.

Diversity, pattern and ecological drivers of freshwater fish in China and adjacent areas

Abstract: China is one of the megadiverse freshwater regions in the world, but the detailed diversity inventory, distribution pattern and ecological drivers are incompletely known, which hinders large-scale freshwater diversity conservation and pattern analysis at the global scale. Aiming to fill this knowledge gap, we compiled a comprehensive richness and distribution database of freshwater fishes in China and adject areas based on our long-term survey and exhaustive data collection from 165 hydrologic units at tributary and sub-basin grain. Then, we elucidated a biogeographical pattern using a β dissimilarity matrix with species presence/absence data and taxonomic relationships. Finally, we evaluated the explanatory power of three hypotheses, i.e., ‘area’, ‘energy’, and ‘history’, in explaining the diversity patterns. A total of 2,063 species utilizing freshwater habitats were identified in the study area. Among them, 1,651 freshwater species were recorded in China, of which 1034 species are endemic to China. Four major freshwater zoogeographic regions, the Palearctic, High Central Asia, East Asia, and South Asia, were identified from a dendrogram, and each region was characterized by different taxonomic categories (i.e., from species to order). ‘Historical’ factors play the most important role (43.64–62.96% of the total variation), or at least a comparable role to that of contemporary climate, in explaining the freshwater fish diversity patterns (species richness and species endemicity). In conclusion, the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, nearby orogeny, and the following formation of the East Asian monsoon climate had profound impacts on the diversification and distribution of ichthyofauna in China and adjacent areas.

Prevalence and determinants of caesarean section in South and South-East Asian women.

Abstract: Background Caesarean section is considered a relatively preferable and safe method of delivery as compared to normal delivery. Since the last decade, its prevalence has increased in both developed and developing countries. In the context of developing countries viz., South Asia (the highest populated region) and South-East Asia (the third-highest populated region), where a significant proportion of home deliveries were reported,however, the preference for, caesarean delivery and its associated factors are not well understood. Objective To study the caesarean delivery in the South and South-East Asian countries and to determine the factors associated with the preference for caesarean delivery. Methodology Demographic and Health Survey Data on from ever-married women of nine developing countries of South and South-East Asia viz., Vietnam, India, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Nepal, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Cambodia have been considered. Both bivariate and binary logistic regression models were used to estimate the propensity of a woman undergoing for caesarean delivery and to assess the influence of maternal socioeconomic characteristics towards the preference for caesarean delivery. Results Obtained results have shown an inclination of caesarean delivery among urban than rural women and are quite conspicuous, but is found to be underestimated mostly among rural women. Caesarean delivery in general is mostly predisposed among women whose baby sizes are either very large or smaller than average, have a higher level of education and place of delivery is private medical institutions. The logistic regression also revealed the influence of maternal socioeconomic characteristics towards the preference for caesarean delivery. Based on nine South and South-East Asian countries an overall C-section prevalence of 13%, but based on institutional births its increase to 19%. The forest plot demonstrated that a significant inclination of C-section among urban than rural regions. In Meta-Analysis, very high and significant heterogeneity among countries is observed, but confirms that in terms of prevalence of C-section all of the countries follow independent pattern. Conclusion Study of seven urban and four rural regions of nine South and South- East Asian countries showed, a significant inclination towards the caesarean delivery above the more recent outdated WHO recommended an optimal range of 10-15%and are associated maternal socioeconomic characteristics. In order to control unwanted caesarean delivery, the government needs to develop better healthcare infrastructure and along with more antenatal care related schemes to reduce the risks associated with increased caesarean delivery.

Patterns of exposure to adverse childhood experiences and their associations with mental health: a survey of 1346 university students in East Asia

Abstract: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) constitute a significant global mental health burden. Prior studies typically investigated the impact of ACEs on mental health using a cumulative risk approach; most ACEs studies were also conducted in Western settings. This study aimed to examine ACEs using a pattern-based approach and assess their associations with mental health outcomes by early adulthood in East Asia. The present study included measures of exposure to 13 categories of ACEs, depression, anxiety, maladjustment, and posttraumatic stress in a sample of 1346 university students from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Latent class analysis indicated three distinct patterns of ACE exposure: Class 1: Low ACEs (76.0%); Class 2: Household Violence (20.6%); and Class 3: Household Dysfunction (3.4%). Those representing Class 3 had significantly more ACEs compared with those in Classes 1 or 2. Controlling for age and sex, those in Class 2 reported significantly higher depression and maladjustment symptoms compared with those in Class 1; both Classes 2 and 3 had significantly higher anxiety symptoms and odds for meeting diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorders compared with those in Class 1. Study findings suggest that young adults’ mental health, at least under certain contexts, is more closely linked with the nature and pattern of ACE co-occurrence, rather than the number of ACEs.

The Effects of Income on Happiness in East and South Asia: Societal Values Matter?

Abstract: During the last two decades, economic studies on happiness have grown rapidly in particular, studies on the effect of income on happiness. Ng (Pac Econ Rev 7(1):51–63, 2002) has highlighted the East-Asian happiness gap. The East Asian countries, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, are performing well economically, however, performing poorly in happiness. Societal values have been suggested to be the potential explanation of this happiness gap. Nevertheless, the effects of societal values on happiness are yet to be explored fully. This paper aims to estimate the effect of income on happiness and examine the moderating effect of societal values in the context of the East-Asian happiness gap using the World Values Survey (WVS) data. The WVS (waves 6, 2010–2014) consists of nationally representative sample of 14,447 respondents from the various East and South Asian countries. It provides measurements of societal values, subjective well-being and other socio-demographic variables including income. We found that the effect of income on happiness is the lowest (and insignificant) in Thailand and Philippines; and the highest (and strongly significant) in South Korea and Taiwan. The effect of income becomes insignificant once it is moderated by the societal values. Societal values matter to explain the East-Asian happiness gap and might refute the relevance of Easterlin paradox.

The ‘new Orientalism’: education policy borrowing and representations of East Asia

Abstract: This article explores the discourses concerning, and actors promoting, the recent ‘rise’ of East Asia in the global trend of education policy borrowing. It focuses on the ways in which English poli...

World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, April 2020 : East Asia and Pacific in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract: The COVID-19 virus that triggered a supply shock in China has now caused a global shock. Developing economies in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP), recovering from a trade war and struggling with a viral disease, now face the prospect of a global financial shock and recession. Significant economic pain seems unavoidable in all countries and the risk of financial instability is high, especially in countries with excessive private indebtedness. Several economies are expected to contract in 2020, which will lead to an increase in the poverty rate. Households linked to affected sectors will suffer more. To deal with this crisis, countries need to act fast and decisively to contain the spread of infection, while expanding capacity both to treat people and to test and trace infections. Fiscal measures should provide social protection to cushion against shocks, especially for the most economically vulnerable. Firms will need liquidity injections to help them stay in business and maintain beneficial links to Global Value Chains. The optimal economic policy response will change over time and depend on the precise nature and evolution of the shock. Given the unprecedented nature of the economic shock to each country, and the fact that it is also affecting all other countries in the region and beyond, an exceptional policy response is needed.