Archives: Publications

by Walden Bello On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Focus is releasing a comprehensive study that seeks to answer the question: Is China an imperial power in the image of the West in its relationship with the global south? Over the last 15 years …

In the first half of 2019, a great deal of global attention focused on national elections in three countries where authoritarian regimes or personalities were in command of the state: Thailand, the Philippines, and India. The big question was: would voters buck the authoritarian trend or affirm it? …

This study presents the struggle for land of the Southern Peasants’ Federation of Thailand (SPFT) in Surat Thani province. It is a counterpoint to the country’s centralized land management system that has resulted in inequitable land distribution, concentrated in the hands of a few powerful owners, …

After the 2008 global financial crisis, big banks were rescued and public spending was curtailed. This justified ever harsher austerity measures and reinforced a persistent myth that the public sector must rely on private finance to solve excessive inequality and ecological destruction. Today, priva …

Nearly 20 years after “deglobalization” was introduced as an alternative paradigm by Focus on the Global South, one of its main authors looks back at its strengths and weaknesses and how its interaction with other alternative frameworks can be a mutually enriching exercise. As an annex to the main p …

Focus Policy Review on the Progressive Agenda in the 2019 Elections and Beyond This issue of the Focus Policy Review explores how the Duterte administration responded to key issues through its policies and action points. These responses, which in a nutshell are very neoliberal and authoritarian, fal …

Laos’ ambition to become the “battery” of Southeast Asia has led to a proliferation of hydropower dams around the country. Yet with these dams come significant socio-economic and environmental consequences that need to be considered when deciding whether to build them. In Laos, risks all too often t …

LRAN Briefing Paper No. 4: New Challenges and Strategies in Defense of Land and Territory What is happening with the land and natural wealth around the world, and to the people who depend on them? How are people responding to these trends, threats, and challenges?In an attempt to tackle these questi …

This publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the situation surrounding seeds–a central element of agricultural economy and of ecology. From being a commonly-held resource nurtured by farmers, corporate-driven scientific research, and intellectual property acquisitions have transformed seed …