World Famous Economists at Southeast Asia Dialogue

Public policy think tank Jeffrey Cheah Institute to advance research and teaching on Southeast Asia Studies

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia (JCI), a component of Sunway Education Group (Sunway Ed) and associated with Sunway University and Monash University Malaysia, was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Dato' Hj Muhyiddin Yassin today.

(left to right) Professor Jorge I. Dominguez, Tan Sri Dr.Jeffrey Cheah, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Malaysia, Professor Dwight Perkins, Professor Dr Woo Wing Thye

The JCI has been established to be a public policy think tank for Southeast Asia and to promote research and teaching on the economies, societies, politics, and cultures of Southeast Asia. The JCI is overseen by an Executive Council and an International Academic Advisory Council (IAAC). The latter is made up of eminent scholars, and former and present government officials from around the world.

JCI also hosted its inaugural conference with speakers from 15 countries concurrently with the launch. Amongst the world renowned scholars speaking at the 2-day conference, "Overcoming the Middle-Income Trap and Keeping Balance Amid Global Turbulence," were Professor Jorge Dominguez, Vice Provost for International Affairs & Chairman of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University; Professor Fan Gang, Director of National Economic Research Institute, Professor at Peking University, and former member of Monetary Policy Committee of the People's Bank of China; Professor Kiyohiko Nishimura, Dean, Economics Faculty, University of Tokyo and former Deputy-Governor of the Bank of Japan; Professor Anwar Nasution, Professor at University of Indonesia, Senior Fellow, Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia, former Senior Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Indonesia and former head of the National Audit Board; Professor Dwight Perkins, Harold Hitchings Burbank Professor Emeritus of Political Economy at Harvard University and Research Professor at Sunway University; and Dr Chalongphob Sussangkarn, former Minister of Finance, Thailand and former President of Thailand Development Research Institute.

Member of the International Academic Advisory Council (IAAC) and Executive Council Member of the JCI as well as Chancellor of Sunway University, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, in his speech said, "The Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia will come up with effective solutions to problems and promote informed discussions on difficult policy choices."

Tan Sri Jeffrey who is also the Founding Trustee of Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) and Founder and Chairman of Sunway Group added, "The institutional structure of JCI guarantees that JCI will carry out its public education mission in the most objective and non-partisan manner that meets the highest standard of professionalism."

In his speech, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said, "Malaysia must upgrade its national software by increasing its capacity to plan, design, and implement better public policies. The upgrading is where the JCI can come in where it will also strengthen democracy and lead to closer state-society collaboration in policy-making and implementation, helping Malaysia to realize its Vision 2020."

The Institute was set up after the creation of two Jeffrey Cheah Professorships of Southeast Asia studies at Harvard University in 2013 following the contribution of USD 6.2 million (about RM 20.51 million) to Harvard University. The contribution was used to establish the Jeffrey Cheah Professorship of Southeast Asia and the Jeffrey Cheah Visiting Professorship of Southeast Asia; the Jeffrey Cheah Fellowship and the Jeffrey Cheah Travel Grants at Harvard University. The JCI is headed by Professor Dato' Dr. Woo Wing Thye, Professor at University of California at Davis, Director of the East Asian Program at The Earth Institute of Columbia University, Distinguished Professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, and Research Professor at Sunway University.

Other principal activities of JCI include undertaking in-depth analysis of global developments that have significant impact on Southeast Asia; advising Southeast Asian governments and domestic and international agencies in the design, development, and implementation of public policy; encouraging and organizing public discourse on issues of public interest in Southeast Asia; and fostering close relations and collaboration with renowned institution of higher learning and think tanks, especially those in Asia, and in Southeast Asia in particular.

Sunway University has already positioned itself as a research institution. JCI is an additional mechanism to accelerate the emergence of Sunway University as a major research university.