Post-Coup Myanmar’s Economy: Crisis and Challenge
MYANMAR STUDIES PROGRAMME WEBINAR
About the Webinar
Five months after the military seized power in February 2021, people across Myanmar are bearing the brunt of the political, economic and social crisis caused by the coup even as they continue to resist it. The Asian Development Bank has forecast Myanmar’s GDP growth rate for 2021 at -9.8%, ranking Myanmar as ASEAN’s worst-performing economy this year. The UNDP has cautioned that Myanmar is on the point of economic collapse which could plunge nearly half the country’s population into poverty by 2022. The Civil Disobedience Movement has affected many sectors of the economy, giving the lie to the State Administration Council junta’s efforts to present itself as business-friendly and committed to economic reforms.
Against this bleak backdrop, this webinar will discuss the micro-realities of Myanmar’s post-coup economic challenges, and implications for governance, the bureaucracy and future investment and development prospects.
About the Speakers
Thurein Lwin is one of the founders of Inya Economics, and the managing editor of Inya Economic Journal founded in 2017. He has several research experiences in the minimum wage, inflation, migration in conflict areas, sub-national financial management, development planning, municipal governance, property tax, and local business development.
Matthew Arnold formerly served as The Asia Foundation’s country representative in Myanmar. He has broad field-based monitoring and evaluation experience; has conducted extensive academic research on conflict, security and state fragility; and has in-depth knowledge of Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Thailand. Arnold was previously a senior research fellow at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University where his research focused on foreign interventionism and post-conflict reconstruction in weak states. He has also worked for the UN World Food Programme managing operations in refugee camps in Ethiopia and as a monitoring & evaluation advisor in humanitarian crises in Liberia, Afghanistan, the DR Congo, Sri Lanka, Aceh, and Timor-Leste. He has co-authored two books, and has also published in leading journals on Asia, and security and development.
Registration
This webinar will be delivered online entirely. You can join the webinar at the specified date and time using devices (computer, phone, or tablet) with internet connection.
Please register here to receive your unique link for joining the webinar.
Limited spaces only, register early to avoid disappointment.
To join the webinar,
1. Install the Zoom client onto your computer or download the app on your mobile device.
2. Click on the unique link in your email.
If you have questions for the speakers, please key in your questions via the Q&A, stating your name and affiliation. The moderator will field them to the speakers during the Q&A session.