Routledge Globalization, Outsourcing and Labour Development in ASEAN: 115 (Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy)

Due to technical advances in production and communication technology, outsourcing – contracting out production of intermediate materials and services – has affected the economic growth of the ASEAN region. This new book fills an important gap in the literature looking at the impact outsourcing has on labour markets, its subtle effects on regional economies and policy implications. Shandre Thangavelu and Aekapol Chongvilaivan investigate various impacts of outsourcing on labour markets, such as its effects on labour productivity, skill upgrading, human capital, and training, in ASEAN economies with a focus on the experience of the two ASEAN countries as a global hub of outsourcing: Singapore and Thailand. This book approaches these research inquiries by developing several econometric models, including primal production functions and dual cost functions, among others. The empirical evidence this book reveals provides interesting insights into and implications on labour and industry development. Review 'Thangavelu and Chongvilaivan provide interesting insights and useful implications for labour and industrial development in the context of an emerging global hub of outsourcing market, the ASEAN.' - Yongyuth Chalamwong, Ph.D., Research Director, Labour Development, Human Resources and Social Development Program, Thailand Development Research Institute Foundation (TDRI) About the Author Shandre Thangavelu is Associate Professor of Economics at the National University of Singapore. Aekapol Chongvilaivan is a Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.