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Abstract:
Southeast Asia (SEA) is a culturally diverse region with many different races, religions, and political systems. Notwithstanding the history of colonial struggles, ethnic riots, and social upheavals, most of the SEA countries enjoy robust economic growth. In 2025, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies surveyed more than 10,000 respondents in SEA to assess the state and quality of social cohesion in their countries using the Bertelsmann Stiftung Framework. The results show a high degree of confidence between people from diverse ethnocultural background but relatively lower institutional trust, particularly in perceived policy fairness and public consultation. Crucially, the quality of governance, not democracy, correlated with stronger and more cohesive societies.  

Speaker:

Dr. Chan-Hoong Leon(Senior Fellow,　S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies(RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Speaker's Profile:
Dr. Chan-Hoong Leong is a Senior Fellow and Head of the Social Cohesion Research Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Chan-Hoong is a board member of the International Academy for Intercultural Research, and World Association for Public Opinion Research Asia Pacific Council, where he serves as Secretary-Treasurer. He sits on the International Advisory Board of the Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and is a member of the Singapore National Integration Council.

Discussant: Yoshiko Ashiwa, Adjunct Professor, GRIPS 
Moderator: Hirofumi Takada,  Vice President/Professor, GRIPS


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Since its establishment in 1997, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) has promoted research and education on a wide variety of policy issues. The GRIPS Forum invites specialists from national and local governments as well as academic and business communities to promote policy studies and expand policy networks.