"A Ticking Time Bomb"

The 2008 Bernard Schwartz Resident Fellows Launch Event

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2008 - Despite years of record economic growth throughout much of Asia, benefits have yet to trickle down to those most in need. Ten years after the Asian financial crisis and its accompanying structural reforms, a growing income gap and persistent poverty have proved to be enduring reminders of the scope of Asia's economic and political challenges.

Left to right: Mira Kamdar, Vishakha Desai, Tion Kwa (Elsa Ruiz/Asia Society)

In an illuminating discussion moderated by Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai, Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Fellows Mira Kandar and Tion Kwa share their ideas for tackling poverty and expanding the benefits of globalization, and the implications of failing to do so.

Kandar, Senior Fellow, World Policy Institute, and author of Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the Largest Democracy and the Future of Our World (2008) emphasizes the interconnectedness between the environment, politics, and economics in India, highlighted by its current water crisis.

Kwa, Editorial and Op-ed Writer for the Straits Times, sheds light on Southeast Asia, emphasizing that no one model of development fits all countries in the region—while democracy may be the end goal, there is no one road to reach that destination.

Listen on Demand (55:32 min.)

More information on the Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Fellows

Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai