Publications

Written by Mekong Institute

Myanmar's emergence from decades of isolation provides an opportunity to learn from the experiences of its neighbours to guide its economic transition and achieve strong and inclusive growth. The development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an effective mechanism in achieving socioeconomic growth, but Myanmar poses a list of challenges that need to be overcome first, including poor infrastructure and limited market access. This paper proposes policy recommendations under seven key issues: business enabling environment, entrepreneurship development, access to financing, business development services, innovation and technology, market access, and cluster development. These recommendations are based on existing reviews of the Myanmar business community and the SME policy frameworks of various countries and combine to form a comprehensive policy framework. This policy framework will provide the government of Myanmar an opportunity to facilitate SME development, and with that the development of the country.

Written by Mekong Institute

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Mekong Institute (MI) agreed to collaborate on a specific project to develop partnership and promote cooperation between the two parties. The six-day Structured Learning Visit (SLV) on "Agricultural Planning and Investments in Thailand" was conducted from 20 to 25 January 2014 for 16 government officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Vientiane Capital, Attapeu, Luang Nam Tha and Sayabouli provinces, as well as GIZ Local and International Advisor. The SLV aimed to provide participants with first-hand information and expose them to new ideas on planning and investment in agriculture sector in Thailand.

Two MI facilitators were involved in organizing the program, translating, facilitating discussions, and sharing experiences with the participants. Dr. Apichart Pongsrihadulchai the Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), was invited to share his knowledge and experiences on agriculture planning systems in Thailand to participants before the field visit. The participants visited six places in four provinces of the Northeastern and Central Thailand namely; Region 4 Office of Agricultural Extension and Development in Khon Kaen province, concerned government offices, Thayang Agricultural Cooperative and a banana farm in Phetchaburi province, Chedi Hak Community Rice Seeds Promotion and Production Center in Ratchaburi province and Taniyama Siam Company and a asparagus farm in Nakhon Pathom province. At the end of the SLV, the participants from each province presented their reflections on what they learned and which practices can be applied upon their return. The participants appreciated most the knowledge gained on crop prioritization and agricultural land zoning systems, which involved many organizations and the use of several analytical tools. They also appreciated and would like to apply the knowledge gained from contract farming and formation and management of cooperatives. They learned how different stakeholders work together to support farmers through cooperatives and contract farming. However, participants also knew that not all knowledge gained from this SLV can be applied in Lao PDR directly due to differences in cultural context and administrative systems. The results of the evaluation conducted throughout the program showed that this SLV was successful both in attaining the program objectives and meeting the participants' expectations. The participants also mentioned that the program was relevant to their work. Most of the participants were fully satisfied with the program as shown in the average rating of "4.81" on the overall satisfaction to the program, using a scale of 1 to 5. However, there were some suggestions for improvement such as extending the duration of the program to 7 days, selecting new sites to reduce traveling time, and allocating more time for open discussion.

The participants also indicated that this SLV enhanced their knowledge and skills, hence would like similar activities on participatory planning system, promotion of safe agriculture, marketing and promotion of products, contract farming system, gender mainstreaming strategy for the government sector, operational system of Thai government, and strategic planning system to enhance GMS and ASEAN connectivity

Written by Mekong Institute

In 2012, the Mekong Institute and the New Zealand Embassy, Bangkok, launched the Mekong Institute – New Zealand Ambassador's Scholarship (MINZAS) Program, to help build a critical mass of human resources in the GMS capable of meeting current and emerging regional issues.

The MINZAS program provides a four-phase, structured learning program conducted over a one-year program cycle for master's level students from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand (CLMT) undertaking research and thesis topics related to regional development.

Through the MINZAS program, recipients receive research funding, skills-development training, exposure to regional subject-matter and expert advice through forums and training sessions. This comprehensive program assists scholarship recipients in developing their theses through improved analytical and documentation skills. The program also grants valuable exposure to MI's extensive public, academic and private sector networks.

From 17 February to 12 March 2014, MI welcomed the third cohort of MINZAS scholarship recipients to its headquarters in Khon Kaen for a training course on research methodology; it was the first of four program sections. In total, twelve CLMT scholarship recipients attended the training course (four from Cambodia, three from Lao PDR, three from Myanmar and two from Thailand), which drew on the expertise and experience of MI program staff and regional experts from Khon Kaen and Kasetsart Universities of Thailand.

During the research methodology training course, scholarship recipients observed four modules emphasizing the development of academically sound research proposals and new research techniques to assist in fieldwork research projects.

The results of the overall evaluation for the learning program, detailed herein, reveal that participants were generally satisfied with the program content, resource personnel, recreational activities, training management and delivery. The sessions of the program were rated as "useful" by participants, who indicated that the knowledge and skills acquired therein could (and would) be applied to their fieldwork research projects.

During the four-week intensive learning course, participants developed new friendships and established region-wide networks. Fostering such connections promotes regional cooperation and stands as a consistent, indirect benefit of all training courses and programs. Though the participants were highly satisfied with the learning program, several comments were provided which will help to improve the program for the next MINZAS cohort.

These comments expressed a need to spend more time on practicing the topics/lessons, incorporating a writing exercise for research and qualitative methodology, designing conceptual framework, and exploring operational and measure variables. There was also a desire to include more learning opportunities related to SPSS or STATA, EView and Nvivo
programs.

Written by Mekong Institute

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Mekong Institute (MI) agreed to collaborate on a specific project to develop partnership and promote cooperation between the two parties. The six-day Structured Learning Visit (SLV) on "Agricultural Planning and Investments in Thailand" was conducted from 3 to 8 February 2014 for 18 government officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Planning and Investment from Attapeu, Luang Nam Tha and Sayabouli provinces, as well as GIZ Local and International Advisors. The Structured Learning Visit aimed to provide participants with first-hand information and expose them to new ideas on planning and investment in agriculture sector in Thailand.

Two MI facilitators were involved in organizing the program, translating, facilitating discussions, and sharing experiences with the participants. The participants visited five places in two provinces of Northeastern Thailand, namely; Khon Kaen Governor's Office, Sum Sung Safe and Chemical Free Vegetable Growers Cooperatives, Betagro Group, and Mitr Phu Viang Sugar Mill in Khon Kaen province, as well as Roi-et Agricultural Cooperatives in Roi-et province. At the end of the SLV, the participants presented their reflections on what they learned and which practices can be applied upon their return. The participants appreciated most the knowledge gained on participatory strategic planning system at different levels, which involved many organizations and the use of several analytical tools. They also learned about different approaches in agricultural promotion such as 1) public-private partnership (PPP) at Sum Sung Cooperatives, and 2) contract farming system, which allowed a win-win situation for both the farmers and the companies.

The results of the evaluation conducted throughout the program showed that this SLV was successful both in attaining the program objectives and meeting the participants' expectations. Most of the participants were fully satisfied with the program, in terms of program design and contents, as well as the overall organization and management of the program, as shown in the average rating of 4.50 on the overall satisfaction to the program, using a scale of 1 to 5. However, there were some suggestions for improvement such as visiting some companies which have potential to invest in Lao PDR, and shortening presentation to allocate more time for discussion.

The participants also indicated their needs for similar activities that will enhance knowledge on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), agricultural extension system, decentralization, and PPP tools.

Written by Mekong Institute

This Project Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Program was co-designed and delivered by the GMS Phnom Penh Plan (PPP) for Development Management and the Mekong Institute (MI). The six days intensive Project Monitoring and Evaluation in Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) learning program was designed to demonstrate to the participating GMS junior civil servants how to conduct and use monitoring and evaluation concepts, tools and techniques at different stages of the project cycle. The role of different stakeholders was given emphasis in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects. The learning program was conducted from 24 February to 1 March, 2014 at the Mercure Vientiane Hotel, Lao PDR. Even though it was supposed to be held at Mekong Institute as usual, but due to the political situation in Thailand it was moved to Vientiane, Lao PDR. Overall objectives of this learning program were to develop the participants' capacity to design, plan and implement effective monitoring and evaluation systems or activities, especially of projects that are transnational or transboundary. The NSEC case study was illustrative to ensure the overall objectives were met.

Twenty-one government officials from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam attended the learning program . At the end of the program, the participants developed action plans that will demonstrate their application of acquired knowledge and skills in their respective workplaces.

A team of four project management experts designed and delivered the program. According to the participants, the trainers were qualified, experienced and employed effective training delivery methods. A "very well attained" – overall performance rating for the training was given by the participants.

The learning program introduced key concepts, processes, tools and techniques in project monitoring and evaluation. It consists of the following themes and topics: Module 1: Overview of M&E and Project Cycle. Module 1 discusses the basic M&E framework, and focuses on the review of the Design Monitoring Framework (DMF) and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) as basis for doing Project Monitoring and Evaluation. Module 2 is about M&E Planning and covers Stakeholder Analysis, Data Gathering Techniques, Qualitative and Quantitative Data, and M&E Team Composition. Module 3 covers Data Processing. It covers Measuring Differences using Before-After and With-Without (BAWWO) Analysis, Significance, Necessity and Sufficiency Analysis. Module 4 covers M&E Report Writing using REESI criteria and presentation skills.

The learning methodologies that were employed in the course included lectures, group activities, simulations, role plays, film showing, computer based applications, case studies and problem exercises. Participants were organized by learning teams to facilitate participatory processes and emphasize practitioner orientation and action learning. The overall results of program evaluation showed that participants were highly satisfied with the learning contents and methodologies. Program outcomes included knowledge and skills gained for professional development, such as presentation, communication, team work, internet research, and professional networking.

The participants deemed that the training course was highly successful. Part 4 of this report contains some of the participant's recommendations, such as:

• Upgrade the NSEC case with additional photos and information on what actually happened to the project. This will reinforce the participants' learning and appreciation of the case study.
• The 6-day learning program is just enough to cover the basic topics of Monitoring and Evaluation. Should have organized the site visit in this training because the site visit on actual regional cooperation project definitely reinforces the participant's learning especially on the observation of the project outcome and impact, the proposed additional information on the case study will somehow cover this.
• The course content is just right for the 6-day learning program. The time allotted for the delivery of modules however, should be reviewed to keep the learning program schedule on track.

Written by Mekong Institute

Promotion of new SME clusters and development of existing ones are important for overall development of the economy of a country. Policy support to ensure development of SME in form of clusters can go a long way in improving their competitiveness by ensuring dynamic linkages to create opportunities. Therefore, it is important to promote growth of sufficiently integrated SMEs clusters in different sectors of the economy. This paper highlights the findings of the four action research on SME clusters conducted in the CLMV (Cambodia, Loa, Myanmar and Vietnam) with an aim to suggest measures for promoting SME clusters in these countries.

For more information please contact [email protected]

Written by Mekong Institute

The Mekong Institute (MI) conducted a one-week Regional Training Cum Workshop on "Trade Negotiation and Trade Policy Development" from 5th – 9th August 2013 at its Residential Training Center in Khon Kaen, Thailand. This regional training program is part of the three-year project on "Capacity Building for the Integration of CLMV Economies into ASEAN Economic Community" from 2012-2014, funded by New Zealand Aid Programme (NZAP).

Twenty-one (21) participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam and China attended this training program comprising of senior and mid level government officials namely from Ministry of Industry and Commerce / Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry, Mine and Energy, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Economy and Finance and Research Institutes.

The program focused on the current state-of-play in international trade and allowed the participants to develop a deeper understanding of ASEAN, the global trade system, the trade policies of individual CLMV countries, the facilitation of the AEC integration, tariff and non tariff measures and other developmental issues. Upon completion, each participant enable to:

• Demonstrate a better understanding of the AEC and global trade system, existing trade policies and emerging issues in the CLMV countries as well as the significance of accession as WTO member;
• Identify all possible areas of development and co-operation in trade negotiations with ASEAN members and other dialogue trade partners;
• Understand the process of trade policy development;
• Understand effective process, strategies and techniques in trade negotiation

This training applied as a Training of Trainer (ToT) approach to build up capacities of officials from the government agencies so that they can localize and replicate the ToT package to enhance utilization of trade negotiation and trade policy development in the respective GMS countries.

Mr. Stephen Olson from Economy Strategy Institute, Washington, D.C., acted as resource person to deliver specific topics on Evaluation of Global Trade System, WTO, AEC, Trade Policies in the GMS, and Trade Negotiation. Dr. Watcharas Leelawath, Deputy Executive Director, International Institute for Trade and Development, Bangkok, Thailand delivered on topic trade policy development. Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, an in-house resource person, shared a session on status of SME in GMS countries.

The training program was delivered through four inter-related modules:

Module 1: Setting the Stage – A Brief Overview of the Global Trade System
Module 2: Understanding the Status of Trade Policies in the GMS, and Accessing the Benefits
Module 3: Trade Policy Development
Module 4: The Art of Trade Negotiation

As part of the training requirements, the participants developed action plans to localize training packages to conduct National Workshop on Enhancing the Utilization of Trade Negotiation and Trade Policy Development in CLMV countries and China – to transfer the knowledge gained to trade negotiators, policy makers and practitioners of government agencies at the provincial and nation level in their respective countries. The national workshops will be organized within four months period from August – November 2013, before again gathering in mid of December 2013 for the follow-up ‘Synthesis and Evaluation Workshop' in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

The results from overall training program evaluation methods showed satisfaction rating by the participants. However, recommendations for improvement included guidance the action plan at the beginning of the program and provide more time to develop the action plan, more assignment such as session's exercise and quiz to make better understanding of the concepts of Trade Negotiation and Trade Policy Development.

Written by Mekong Institute

The two-day Roundtable Meeting marks the end of Phase 3 of the Mekong Institute – New Zealand Ambassador Scholarship (MINZAS) Program. MINZAS is a collaborative program between the Mekong Institute and the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok aiming to provide professional development opportunities for master's degree students from CLMT countries through a structured training program and research assignment under the guidance of
experienced regional and international experts. An important part of the scholarship program is to provide the scholars a training course on Research Methodology.

The training course on Research Methodology was held from March 4 – 28, 2013 at the MI Residential Center in Khon Kaen Province, Northeast of Thailand. At the end of the four-week training course, the participants developed a research proposal that incorporated the knowledge and skills acquired during the training. The proposal was to be conducted upon their return to each of their respective countries based on the agreed methodology and timeframe.

The twelve research proposals are:

(1) The Effects of Rice Contract Farming on Smallholder Farmers' Incomes in Cambodia: A Case Study in Toul Sala Commune in Barsedth District, Kampong Spue Province,
(2) Factors Contributing to the Success of Agricultural Cooperative Farms, Case Study: Ye-Nant-Tha Agricultural Co-operative Farm, Mataya Township, Mandalay Region, Myanmar,
(3) Analysis of Pomelo Value Chains in the Yangon Region, Myanmar,
(4) Value Chain Analysis of Mandarins in Selected Areas of Myanmar,
(5) Rice Value Chain in S'ang District, Kandal Province, Cambodia,
(6) Value Chain Analysis of Sesame in Magway Township, Myanmar,
(7) Rural Household Vulnerability Assessment Study to Climate Variability: The Case of Peang Lvea Commune, Odongk District, Kampong Spue Province, Cambodia,
(8) Financial Development, Trade Openness and Economic Growth in the CLV Countries,
(9) The Effects of Trade Liberalization on Myanmar's Foreign Trade with Selected Asian Countries,
(10) Impact of FDI on the Economic Growth of Lao PDR,
(11) The Impact of Household Savings on the Development of Rural Livelihood: Evidence from Luang Prabang, Northern Laos; and
(12) Business Development and Market Expansion of Women Entrepreneurs: Case Study of SMEs Community in Chiang Rai Province.

The MINZAS Roundtable Meeting provided a platform for the scholars to present and share the research results. The meeting also created a platform for deliberation of the results and validated the findings among experts. Two subject matter experts were invited to present an overview on the research topics in the context of the GMS. Home advisors of the twelve students were also invited to provide comments and feedbacks for further improvement of the research reports.

Written by Mekong Institute

The Mekong Institute (MI) conducted a one-week Regional Training Cum Workshop on "Trade Negotiation and Trade Policy Development" from 5th – 9th August 2013 at its Residential Training Center in Khon Kaen, Thailand. This regional training program is part of the three-year project on "Capacity Building for the Integration of CLMV Economies into ASEAN Economic Community" from 2012-2014, funded by New Zealand Aid Programme (NZAP).

Twenty-one (21) participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam and China attended this training program comprising of senior and mid level government officials namely from Ministry of Industry and Commerce / Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry, Mine and Energy, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Economy and Finance and Research Institutes.

The program focused on the current state-of-play in international trade and allowed the participants to develop a deeper understanding of ASEAN, the global trade system, the trade policies of individual CLMV countries, the facilitation of the AEC integration, tariff and non tariff measures and other developmental issues. Upon completion, each participant enable to:

• Demonstrate a better understanding of the AEC and global trade system, existing trade policies and emerging issues in the CLMV countries as well as the significance of accession as WTO member;
• Identify all possible areas of development and co-operation in trade negotiations with ASEAN members and other dialogue trade partners;
• Understand the process of trade policy development;
• Understand effective process, strategies and techniques in trade negotiation

This training applied as a Training of Trainer (ToT) approach to build up capacities of officials from the government agencies so that they can localize and replicate the ToT package to enhance utilization of trade negotiation and trade policy development in the respective GMS countries.

Mr. Stephen Olson from Economy Strategy Institute, Washington, D.C., acted as resource person to deliver specific topics on Evaluation of Global Trade System, WTO, AEC, Trade Policies in the GMS, and Trade Negotiation. Dr. Watcharas Leelawath, Deputy Executive Director, International Institute for Trade and Development, Bangkok, Thailand delivered on topic trade policy development. Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, an in-house resource person, shared a session on status of SME in GMS countries.

The training program was delivered through four inter-related modules:

Module 1: Setting the Stage – A Brief Overview of the Global Trade System
Module 2: Understanding the Status of Trade Policies in the GMS, and Accessing the Benefits
Module 3: Trade Policy Development
Module 4: The Art of Trade Negotiation

As part of the training requirements, the participants developed action plans to localize training packages to conduct National Workshop on Enhancing the Utilization of Trade Negotiation and Trade Policy Development in CLMV countries and China – to transfer the knowledge gained to trade negotiators, policy makers and practitioners of government agencies at the provincial and nation level in their respective countries. The national workshops will be organized within four months period from August – November 2013, before again gathering in mid of December 2013 for the follow-up ‘Synthesis and Evaluation Workshop' in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

The results from overall training program evaluation methods showed satisfaction rating by the participants. However, recommendations for improvement included guidance the action plan at the beginning of the program and provide more time to develop the action plan, more assignment such as session's exercise and quiz to make better understanding of the concepts of Trade Negotiation and Trade Policy Development.

Written by Mekong Institute

The three-year project (2012-14) on "Capacity Development Program for Integrating CLMV Economies into AEC" sponsored under the New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade Aid Programme (NZAP) is being implemented by the Mekong Institute, Thailand.

The project aims to prepare the Mekong countries namely the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) for the successful integration of their economic systems into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. Among five components of the project, the Trade and Investment Facilitation Department of MI is tasked with the implementation of two components namely: (i) integrating CLMV's Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) into ASEAN and Global Value Chains and (ii) increasing capacity of public and private sectors' organizations in trade policy development, Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) negotiation and implementation.

In order to provide adequate information for the project inception report and resultsoriented M&E plan, a need assessment study was conducted in the CLMV countries. The aim was to identify the roles and responsibilities of the relevant stakeholders and assess their capacities and identify gaps to define capacity building needs for developing a
capacity development plan and capacity building packages and strategies to respond to the needs within the framework of NZAP Project.

The assessment reveals that the prospect for consortia and SME clusters formation in the CLMV countries is potentially high, especially for products in handicraft and agro-based sector. However, the promotion of these activities is relatively weak, specifically in Myanmar and Cambodia, due to lack of knowledge and support services.

The assessment study observed that in the CLMV countries, although FTAs and bilateral agreements, mostly through ASEAN, have been concluded, their advantages have not yet been fully realized by export-oriented SMEs. The awareness of FTAs and related policies both among governments and private sectors is relatively low. Very few trainings or workshops on these issues have been conducted or if any, the SMEs participation seems
to be quite limited.

The functionaries of SME and trade promotion agencies both in the government and private sector attend a range of capacity building programmes. The top level management deals with policy level issues and attends regional and internal events such as forums, seminar and dialogues whereas the mid level functionaries attends specific training on skill improvement, awareness, subject specific topics and training of trainers both within and outside the country. The top management level of private sector body (Chamber of Commerce and Industry) is mostly engaged policy advocacy forums. For the mid level functionaries, the types of training range from WTO, trade negotiations, AEC integration, trade fair and participation in trade exhibitions. It is noticed that there has been no specific training on FTAs or any training directed towards utilization of FTAs by SMEs.

Though a range of trainings either on SME development or Trade development has been attended by the practitioners, it was reported that the scope for applying those skills has been significantly low. The trainings in most cases do not reflect the roles and responsibilities of the functionaries mostly in case of mid and junior level functionaries.

Another, hurdle in the acquisition of skill and knowledge in trainings outside the country is the skill level which is not at par with participants from other countries in addition to low English language capabilities mostly among the junior level functionaries. Further, it was observed that most of the trainings attended abroad are advanced in nature and are not in consistent with the requirements of day to day functions of the organizations.

However, the trainings provided within projects which are implemented by the organizations and funded by donors are relevant since these are built in programmes to enhance capabilities of the implementing agencies.

The study also identifies key organizations as focal point in the project countries. The role of the key organizations would be to coordinate all activities specific to their organizational mandate, assist in target participant recruitment and follow up action plan implementation and other assigned roles.

The importance of SME development through cluster approach is gaining ground as noticed in case of Vietnam and Cambodia however the knowledge is still limited particularly among the mid level and lower functionaries in all the CLMV countries.

With regard to FTAs, the knowledge seems to be limit ed particularly its utilization by SMEs. There is no systematic approach or attempt made in any of these countries to enhance utilization of FTAs by the SMEs.

The study acknowledges the importance to build capacities of the functionaries for SME cluster development and on enhancing utilization of FTAs by the SMEs. Since the role and functions of levels of functionaries are different, the study suggested specific capacity development packages for different level of functionaries and devise strategies to implement the two components of the project for the remaining two years of the project phase.