I am very close to the end of my PhD studies in economics at Hanken. My doctoral thesis, titled "Growth and Convergence: The Case of China", has eight chapters on China's growth issues. Besides an introduction and a concluding chapter, the other chapters each focus on certain aspects of the issue of growth and convergence across China. One chapter is devoted to tests of growth across the Chinese provinces. The next chapter investigates the relationship between openness and regional growth in China. Another chapter takes account of effects of structural change on growth across the Chinese regions. Then another chapter deals with foreign direct investment and its effects on China's economic performance. One more chapter reconsiders the growth issues in an alternative framework with endogenous saving behavior and capital mobility across regions. Still another chapter, under a model of comparative advantage and transaction efficiency, focuses on one of the potential growth mechanisms in China.

I applied for the SUPRA scholarship because I believed the 2-week stay at NIAS could offer me a great opportunity to explore its rich library resources. Since I was completing my PhD studies very soon, I was more concerned about how these rich resources could benefit my future academic research. In fact, after my 2-week stay here, I was convinced that NIAS would make a suitable and inspiring place for my future research if I could be offered an opportunity for another longer stay at NIAS. In fact, I have just made an application for the current NIAS post-doc introductory stipend, which offers a 3-month stay at NIAS. I am now really looking forward to seeing the possibility of coming back to NIAS again!

Full name: Jiang, Yanqing
Period of stay: August 17 – 30, 2009
Home institution: Hanken School of Economics
Type of project: PhD

I am a PhD student of Helsinki University. My research focus on Tibetans market participation in China. This is my second time to NIAS library, needless to say much, my revisiting itself tells how usefulness and the wonderful service NIAS provided. The materials I found in NIAS are very helpful for my research. I am also very grateful to meet interesting scholars through NIAS contact.

Full name: Wang Shiyong
Period of stay: August 31 - September 13 2009
Home institution: University of Helsinki
Type of project: PhD

I have a BA in History from Aalborg University and am now doing MA in Development Studies and International Relations at the same institution. While working on the MA thesis, NIAS was introduced to me by my supervisor. Due to the focus on Asia (writing about India) and the vast amount of material available at NIAS, it seemed as a good opportunity to gather material, which had been somewhat scarce in relation to what I wanted to investigate. At the same time, it would be an opportunity get input from other researchers at NIAS.

The topic is the Dalits in India and the lack of mobility; the Dalits (the lowest castes in India) as a minority group seem to benefit little in terms of the economic advancement India has made in the past 50 years. Even though there are signs of mobility among the Dalits, most of them stay in a state of poverty. Even though they are 16% of the whole Indian population, they have a poverty rate of 37%. Furthermore, though several government policies have been implemented, there seem to be only a small amount of the Dalits, who benefit from these policies.
With this in mind, the thesis looks into the reasons why the Dalits seem to have little benefit and social mobility, and to do this, theories of exclusion, discrimination and class/stratification are helpful during the investigation. 

Full name: Vathana Devi Krishnasamy 
Period of stay: 26th October - 8th November 2009 
Home institution: Aalborg University 
Type of project: MA  

I am a Policies Magister (Sociology) from Helsinki University and am currently working at the University of Turku in a research project on Indian Higher Education. I am interested in the role of higher education in Indian development. At the moment I am writing about topics like Indian globalization, international organizations, higher education and development policies and the challenges of the Indian higher education system.

There were three main reasons for me to apply for the NIAS scholarship. Firstly I wanted to get some distance from the text. Secondly I needed time to read and for that purpose the NIAS library was a perfect place. I was positively surprised of the amount of relevant literature on modern India and also on Indian higher education. Thirdly I was interested in getting some variation to my everyday life and to experience something new; another research institute and another city. It was a very fruitful visit, thank you.

Full name: Riikka Aminoff
Period of stay: 12.10. – 25.10. 2009
Home institution: University of Turku
Type of project: PhD
 

The Library of the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies offers course in using the library's Chinese language resources.

The Course takes place at NIAS Library, Leifsgade 33. 2. Floor

24 March 2010 at 11:00am to 1:00 pm

The courses include an introduction to:

• Literature search in databases; Introduction to the Chinese language databases for locating literature.

Please contact NIAS library Inga-Lill Blomkvist or Jørgen Delman for more information: bib@nias.ku.dk or 35329510

The Gendering Asia Conference is the 4th conference held by the Gendering Asia Network and is open to students and scholars working primarily within the postdisciplinary field of gender studies, and also to those whose main focus is not gender, but who include a gender perspective in the study of Asia. It is part of the larger ADI conference titled "Asian Diversity in a Global Context", 11-13 November 2010.

Conference themes:

• Effects of gendered Asia
• Gendered processes constructing Asia
• How does the application of gender theory make a difference to the knowledge we construct of Asia?

The conference will include keynote speeches by Thu-Huong Nguyen-vo and Penny van Esterik(tentative) and paper presentation sessions.

Deadline for submitting abstract: 1 March 2010 

For more information and registration, please follow the links 

If you are working on a MA or PhD thesis during autumn 2010 and need some inspiration, literature or simply just time to write on your thesis, then NIAS has something to offer: the Nordic Scholarship!

The Nordic Scholarship covers inexpensive travel to Copenhagen, two weeks board and accommodation plus a working place at NIAS! A perfect chance to concentrate on your thesis, have inspirational talks with our researchers or collect material in Northern Europe's most comprehensive Asian studies library.

More information about SUPRA students' experiences at NIAS and practical information as well as application form.

NB: SUPRA scholarships are primarily for students from NNC member institutions.

Deadline for application: 1 June 2010

For more informatio, please contact Erik Svanström, SUPRA student Assistant

Guest Lecture by Professor Timo Kivimäki, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen 

Peace Negotiations in Helsinki in 2005 on the Aceh conflict was the first East Asian peace process since 1973 that actually managed to end conflict violence and battle deaths. Thus, these negotiations have been mentioned as a model for conflict resolution and Asian-European security cooperation. But the formula of Aceh peace talks has not been analyzed in detail. Why did the Helsinki Process succeed, while so many other processes fail? Are there any lessons one could learn from the success of Aceh negotiations?

Professor Timo Kivimäki, an expert of Indonesian negotiation behaviorand Indonesian conflicts, offered his expertise to the mediation panel under a contract between the mediating organization and NIAS. In this lecture he will discuss the general lessons of success in Aceh negotiations and the possibility of emulating the Aceh formula elsewhere.

My research project focuses on e-government in China, and how this is affecting emerging patterns of political expression, mostly in the growing middle class. China has been investing significant amounts of money in developing e-government infrastructures, and there is within policy literature and academic debate an expectation that these facilities will lead to a growing democratic consciousness. I believe that this is not the case, and that e-government is ultimately a political tool that reflects the desires and motivations of the regime of the day. If nothing else, I think this is an area that deserves further study. The SUPRA scholarship proved an invaluable opportunity to immerse myself in the process of collating these ideas and building them into a thesis. The combination of great, well organized resources, fantastic librarians and a diverse (and friendly) community of researchers creates the sort of environment that makes the sometimes painful process of writing much more enjoyable. I would thoroughly recommend the SUPRA program to other researchers and students in the Nordic region.

Full name: Julian Coady
Period of stay: 25-05-2009 – 07-06-2009
Home institution: Lund University
Type of project: MA

The first time I heard about the NIAS SUPRA programme was from a friend’s friend. She herself used to be a SUPRA student and thought it very helpful, especially the superb library resources. I am doing my thesis on the book selection of the public library and the independent bookstore in Taiwan. The reference search is always a problem to me since my field Taiwan is never one of those hot topics. Therefore I applied for the programme and hopefully may get something useful from this specialized research institute. Then I came and did harvest a lot. I found a rarely seen journal issued from Taiwan to the overseas which can backup my research well. I even got the chance to talk with a local independent bookshop owner through the NIAS researcher’s introduction. It was the most pleasant amazement for me. I really appreciated for the chance as a SUPRA student here, and enjoyed the talk with NIAS people and the stay in NOKO.  This programme would be beneficial for anyone working on Asian studies.  

Full name: Chung, Peiling
Period of stay: 22/06-05/07/2009
Home institution: University of Jyväskylä
Type of project: MA

I am a MA student studying political science at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. I am writing about Norwegian and Japanese policy toward war on terrorism in the case of Iraq.

I really enjoyed my stay in NIAS and Copenhagen blessed with wonderful weather almost every day. I had great time talking with researchers, staffs and other students. I was encouraged by the environment of NIAS and especially by these people about my research. Especially I want to thank Senior Researcher Dr. Timo Kivimäki for his kind and keen advice for my master thesis idea. It was really helpful. I also want to thank all the staff for helping me with my comfortable stay and giving me nice talks.

Full name: Yukiko Takezawa
Period of stay: 17th - 26th April
Home institution: NTNU
Type of project: MA

I'm glad to have this opportunity to stay at NIAS for two weeks. During this short period, what most impressed me were several guest lectures and NIAS Library where I accessed to some books and journals that I haven't found in other libraries.

I remember that the next day after arriving at NIAS, there was just a guest lecture given by an India professor who talked about India's national election this year. Then a three-day workshop focused on ten years of democracy in Indonesia was held. At another seminar, a Japanese scholar briefed Japan's role of peacekeeping in Asia. Although these topics weren't directly connected to my research subject, they more or less broadened my vision.

I also want to mention NIAS library collection that includes some up to date books and journals. During my stay, I read some books and journal articles dealing with the issues that I’m interested in but happened in other Asian countries like Japan, India and Bangladesh, etc., which, I think, are much helpful for me to deepen my understanding of my research topic against wider background.

In addition, this short stay also makes me recognize the influence and leading role of NIAS on Asian Studies in the Nordic region. From now on, I'll often log on NIAS website and search for related information and resource that are conducive to my research.

Many thanks to NIAS.

Full name: Junxin Jiang
Period of stay: 11.05 – 24.05.2009
Home institution: University of Turku
Type of project: PhD candidate

Upcoming sabbatical?
Take a look at this!

What we offer is:

• A place to concentrate, a place where relevant information is available and accessible, and a place where Asian affairs make up a normal topic around the lunch table as well as in seminars and workshops. In other words: the perfect place to stay when you need to focus on your research, whether it is to finish a report or writing a scholarly article.
• The offer includes office space and equipment.

What you need to take care of yourself:

• Funding for travel, board and lodging, local transportation, etc.
  

What we shall try to assist you with:

• Finding a room or an apartment in the vicinity of NIAS.
• Applying for funds in your home country or elsewhere.
  

How to proceed, if you want to join the NIAS environment for a while:

• Send us a mail describing your project(s) and a relevant, updated CV.
• Suggested ways of financing the stay.

For more information please contact Project Coordinator Katrine Herold at:
katrine.herold@nias.ku.dk

I am a student of Lund University’s master program in Asian Studies and right now I am at the end of my program. I did both my bachelor and master in History from the university of Dhaka. The research topic of my current master thesis is about the impact of climate change on the lives and livelihoods of the Sundarbans region of southern Bangladesh. Sundarbans is the largest mangrove eco forest in the world and in terms of climate change impact, which is suppose to be the most vulnerable natural forest as well. The threatening change of climate brings cataclysms such as, salinization; rise of sea level, coastal flooding, river erosion etc. which also lead millions of coastal communities living in that area in an uncertain future. 
My keen interest on environmental issues drives me to this research project. I found that human livelihoods are severely and more rapidly affected by the course of climate change in this part of the world, and which is obstructing the government and non-government initiatives against poverty reduction and human development.
The major problem that I have faced at the initial stage of my research is the scarcity of necessary literatures and reference. In that case NIAS brought to me a wide collection of literatures which are currently helping me to consolidate my research theme. I am really thankful to NIAS.

The other great supports that I got from NIAS are such as networking with other researchers, thesis advice and information on further study in PhD level. I believe it is very important for a researcher to establish a network with other researchers for sharing and gathering different views and thoughts. 

During my stay at NIAS, I really enjoyed the library facilities provided by NIAS and the charming youth life at NoKo (Nordic Kolligium). Hope this tie between NIAS and me will continue in future.  

Full name: Asiful Basar
Period of stay: 30th of March to 12th of April, 2009 
Home institution: Lund University, Sweden
Type of project: MA

I’m a student of Social Anthropology in Norway, and I am currently completing my master thesis. I write about how new technology might facilitate or contribute to social change in rural North India. My focus is on the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) available in the village where I did my fieldwork – the mobile phone and the computer. I argue that the computer, which has received a lot of attention in the global development discourse as a “tool for change”, functions in a very different manner than the mobile phone. Whilst the computer seems to illuminate, and even maintain social differences in the village, the mobile phones rapid diffusion in the village seems to facilitate some sort of social change in the way that it eases communication between friends, family and traders. 

My reason for choosing to apply for the SUPRA scholarship at NIAS was because I had heard rumours of their expertise on Asia and the great selection of books on India in their library. I was very happy to discover that the rumours were true when I arrived NIAS in March!

Full name: Aase Jeanette Hjelde
Period of stay: 2nd-15th of March 2009
Home institution: University of Bergen, dept. of Social Anthropology
Type of project: MA