Sanctions on Burma: A Review by the NLD

In recent months sanctions have repeatedly featured in discussions over the kind of policies that would best encourage positive change in Burma. Are current administrative policies and practices conducive to a healthy economy, with or without sanctions? Are allegations that sanctions have exacerbated the hardships of the people of Burma justified or are such accusations based on political motives? Are sanctions in their present form likely to achieve the desired objectives? Are there credible signs of progress in the democratization process? The issue of sanctions needs to be examined within the broad context of political desiderata and economic realities […]

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Delivers Speech at World Economic Forum

On Thursday, 28 January 2011, Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a special message to political and business leaders attending the Annual Meeting in Davos. “We need investments in technology and infrastructure,” she pleaded, as Burma strives for national reconciliation, political stability and economic growth.

Watch the video here.

Port Project Raises Concerns About Rights, Environment

A new deep-sea port and special economic zone in Tavoy, southern Burma, will bring much-needed infrastructure to the military-ruled country and be a boon to regional trade, but will also present serious risks to the local population and environment, according to experts […]

Economic Analysis and Vision of the NLD

An analysis of the economic situation in Burma shows clearly that the situation is dire. Due to the unequal distribution of state revenue, the majority of the people in Burma are facing high commodity prices, high unemployment rates and a lack of employment opportunities.

The main cause of the increased commodity prices is the government’s printing of large amounts of new money to cover the deficit in government expenses […]

Burma’s Economy 2010: A Fresh Look at Some Elemental Issues

The serial underperformer of the Asia-­Pacific, Burma’s economy is unbalanced, volatile, and largely without the institutions and qualities necessary to achieve sustainable economic growth and development. Using new and hitherto largely unobtainable data, this paper explores the fundamentals of Burma’s economy, examining concerns over economic growth, public finances, monetary and financial policies, international trade and investment, privatisation actions, and post-­Cyclone Nargis aid. The paper concludes pessimistically as to the likelihood of meaningful change in Burma in the foreseeable future […]

The Economics of Protest in Burma

On 5 July, as many as 3,000 students protested in Sittwe, Arakan State, against the 100% increase in regime-run school bus fares due to rising fuel prices. In a statement, the All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress said that diesel and petrol prices have been on the rise since the junta’s wave of privatizations.

Increases in fuel prices have sparked protests in Sittwe before, but are most notably responsible for setting off the 2007 Saffron Revolution when hundreds of thousands of people took to the street […]

Dissecting the Data: Burma’s Macroeconomy at the Cusp of the 2010 ‘Elections’

Burma’s macroeconomy is unbalanced, unstable and largely without the institutions and attributes necessary to achieve transformational growth. Employing new data and techniques selected to gaze through the characteristic informational fog, this paper aims to examine the fundamentals of Burma’s macroeconomy as it stands at the cusp of the 2010 elections. These elections, already without political credibility, promise little in the way of the reforms Burma needs to achieve economic stability and growth […]

The Economy of Burma/Myanmar on the Eve of the 2010 Elections

This report examines the economy of Burma at a crucial moment in Southeast Asia’s most troubled country. A low-intensity conflict based on ethnic and religious differences has simmered since independence in 1948. The country’s military rulers have been waging an existential struggle with a democratic movement led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi since they repudiated her party’s election victory in 1990. Before the end of 2010, an election will be held that is more about transferring power to a new generation of military officers than making a transition to civilian rule. To focus attention on the economic dimension of peacebuilding in Burma, this report draws on the discussion at a day-long workshop sponsored by USIP’s Center for Sustainable Economies. The workshop brought together experts on key aspects of Burma’s economy and employees from congress and U.S. government departments and agencies directly concerned with U.S. relations with Burma. The workshop sessions focused on macroeconomic policy, the extractive sectors, agriculture, the private sector, trade and investment, and the narcotics economy […]