JATI - JOURNAL OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES

THE FOOD OF THE SINGAPORE MALAYS: GASTRONOMIC TRAVELS THROUGH THE ARCHIPELAGO BY KHIR JOHARI. SINGAPORE: MARSHALL CAVENDISH INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) PTE LTD., 2021. 624 PP. ISBN 978-981-4841-92-4 : BOOK REVIEW

R. J. Lim — 2024-06-30

A book review

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MARKET STRUCTURE ON-DEMAND APP GIG ECONOMY IN ASEAN

Yosuke Uchiyama — 2024-06-30

On-demand app gig work in the ASEAN region significantly impacts people's lives and the market order. Conversely, the growing balance of power in these sectors threatens the sustainability of the ASEAN digital market and the over-exploitation of customers and workers, exposing companies to fierce regional competition. By focusing on the e-hailing and online food delivery sectors, this study examines the characteristics of the on-demand app gig economy market structure in ASEAN. This study develops an analytical framework applying the concept of four types of market structure in industrial relations theory. The descriptive analysis of market data related to the two markets and in-depth interviews with 14 individuals in 10 ASEAN countries identify the national and regional balance of power created by multi-layered market principles in the two main gig economy sectors. The findings of the study provide a detailed characterisation of the overall regional gig economy market of ASEAN in terms of monopolies, oligopolies and monopolistic competition. Based on the findings, the study concludes with a critical discussion of the coexistence of the market principles of the on-demand app gig economy and the existence of the digital market in the ASEAN region.

COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM MECHANISM NETWORKS: A FACTOR FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AT THE WORLD HERITAGE CORRIDOR IN THAILAND

Umpiga Shummadtayar — 2024-06-30

In 1991, the World Heritage Corridor, comprising Si Satchanalai, Sukhothai, and Kamphaeng Phet, was identified as a tourism strategy in Thailand. This project serves national economic targets outlined in the Twelfth National Economic and Social Development Plan (2017-2021) launched before the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Sukhothai Creative City concept was influenced by the socioeconomic impact of tourism in 2019, especially community-based tourism (CBT). This research will explore local tourism relations to enhance social interaction and network efficiency by proposing guidelines to empower community networks for sustainable tourism management. According to social network analysis (SNA) by Gephi, an open-source network analysis and visualisation software package, results showed that community-based tourism and support mechanism networking occurred throughout. Informal relationships may enliven community enthusiasm and formalise support mechanisms through tourism clubs, public associations, and networks. These networks may also enhance government tourism organisations, especially Designated Area for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) 4, and local authorities by socially interacting through diverse relationships and attaining characteristic features of Thailand’s World Heritage Corridor.

AN ANALYSIS OF COFFEE GROWER HOUSEHOLDS IN RESPONSE TO THE GLOBAL COFFEE CRISIS IN LAM DONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Khoa Le Toan Vu — 2024-06-30

Since the late 20^th century, globalisation has become an irresistible trend, bringing opportunities and challenges for Vietnam’s economic development. After the 1986 reforms, Vietnamese coffee production increased more than 200-fold, and the country became the second-largest coffee producer in the world. Vietnamese coffee is a unique story in the history of the global coffee industry. This study examines coffee development in the Lam Dong province of Vietnam. Lam Dong province is a vital area for coffee production in Vietnam. It describes how smallholder farmers are responding to the effects of the global coffee crisis, including issues such as fluctuations in coffee prices and climate change. This study draws on data from in-depth interviews with 53 smallholder farmers in Lam Dong province to understand how farming systems, corresponding land use and labour use have changed due to the impacts of the crisis. The study shows that most smallholders have changed their land use and cropping mix. Some smallholder farmers are trying to reduce their vulnerability to environmental damage and coffee price volatility by practising sustainable coffee farming. This shows the vitality and flexibility of smallholder farmers in Lam Dong Province in connecting to the developing trends of the world coffee market.

THE LIKELIHOOD OF SELF-PERCEIVED LONELINESS AMONG OLDER PERSONS IN MALAYSIA

Adzmel Mahmud — 2024-06-30

As people grow older, the risk of becoming lonely increases. Loneliness has a negative impact on both mental and physical health in older persons. Although research on loneliness among older persons is expanding, less is known about loneliness in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. Therefore, this study's purpose is to investigate the prevalence of loneliness and its associated factors among older persons in Malaysia using the most recent national survey data from the 2014 Malaysian Population and Family Survey. The sample was extracted to include ever-married Malays, other Bumiputera, and Chinese and Indian groups aged 60 and above who had children. Loneliness was measured using a single self-reported question about whether respondents had ever felt lonely, which was then categorised as a binary variable. A Chi-square test was performed on feelings of loneliness across socio-demographic characteristics, mental health, physical health, family support, and social participation, followed by logistic regression analysis using significant variables as predictors. The prevalence of loneliness among older persons was 35.7%. The logistic regression showed that factors contributing to the likelihood of feeling lonely include being widowed, divorced, or separated, experiencing anxiety, physical limitations, and sharing problems with children. In contrast, residing in urban areas, having higher education levels, having more sources of income, having life satisfaction, perceiving life as meaningful, having fair and good self-rated health, co-residence with adult children, and participation in religious activities were associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing loneliness. Loneliness is a serious issue among older persons in Malaysia. The government, community, and family should immediately address this psychological problem. The study suggests the need for appropriate strategies for the prevention of loneliness should be developed in the near future.

WALKING THE TRAILS OF TAMAN NEGARA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE FOOTPATH OF THE INDIGENOUS BATEK

Badli Esham Ahmad — 2024-06-30

Orang Asli (aboriginal people) in Malaysia are seen as marginalised, poor and without any proper education, and the Batek Hep of Taman Negara is not an exception. The Batek Hep is one of the eighteen tribes of aboriginal people of Malaysia and is from the Negrito subgroup. They are hunter-gatherers and foragers of forest produce. Batek is also considered an egalitarian society and dwells mostly along the main river in Taman Negara, Pahang as well as its tributaries. The paper intends to look at the changes that have taken place in the Batek society over the decade. The study is located in Taman Negara Pahang, and the focus is on education and culture. This paper uses the qualitative approach, and the data are taken from field observation notes, video recordings, semi-structured and informal interviews, as well as document analysis from previous research. The data collection period was from 2011- 2021, with visits to eight villages located in Taman Negara. Field observation notes and video recordings were taken during visits to the villages, and the interviews were conducted with the heads of villages, an adult woman, and young males. Over the ten years (2011-2021), it was found that the approach to education among the Batek has slowly changed, modernisation has influenced the younger generation but not the elders, the semi-nomadic lifestyle has changed, but the cultural values have been preserved. The paper ends with suggestions for the future direction of Batek Hep to elevate themselves from its current economic situation.

EXAMINING THE EFFICIENCY OF MALAYSIAN PUBLIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN SECURING WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKING

Saber Abdelall Mohamed Ahmed — 2024-06-30

University ranking is crucial as it attracts prospective students and academics. The ranking of public research universities in Malaysia works as a catalyst for securing government and other corporate research funding. This study measures the technical efficiency of five public research universities in Malaysia (PRUMs). This study employs a triangular fuzzy number in the Banker, Charnes, and Cooper (BCC) Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis (BCC-FDEA) model. The three world ranking indicators employed as output variables are teaching and research reputations and citations, and the input variables are the number of full-time students and staff. Data gathered for the academic years from 2018/2019 to 2020/2021 are used to project the efficiency scores for 2021/2022. The BCC-FDEA model is also used to consider five public research universities in Asia (APRUs) as the decision-making units (DMUs) to solve the issue of sample size adequacy. This study projects three PRUMs as technically inefficient due to input factor issues. Two main contributions of this study are: (1) QS world ranking indicators are profound parameters that research universities should consider to attain a better position in the world ranking; (2) fuzzy efficiency scores shed light on how inefficient PRUMs can improve their operations by emulating their referent DMUs.