Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, Executive Director of ERIA, attended the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum on 25 March, 2015, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The 2015 OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum brought together policy-makers from Southeast Asia and OECD member countries, international and regional organizations, experts, and business representatives to explore regional economic integration issues. This will feed into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and post-2015 agenda and clarify how the policy focus of the program can support the integration process.

Prof. Nishimura was the rapporteur in session four, 'Productivity Enhancing Policies Supporting Regional Integration.' Dr. Dionisius Narjoko, economist of ERIA, was a discussant.

Session four covered efforts by Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand to raise productivity as a prerequisite for fully realizing the benefits of integration, as well as the institutional arrangements for bringing productivity to the center of economic policy making in an efficient and transparent manner.

Dr. Narjoko highlighted ERIA's relevant research on the importance and benefits of good regulatory practices and responsive regulatory regimes, in other words, a 'responsive ASEAN.'

Prof. Nishimura summarized the discussion and provided strategic comments to the session. He stressed the importance of regional cooperation in building the capacity institutions and bureaucracies for a better regulatory regime and in support of productivity growth in ASEAN, saying that 'one area we hope ASEAN leaders would consider for ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Post 2015 is implementing good regulatory practices and responsive regulatory regimes in ASEAN, which is the heart of a responsive ASEAN in the ERIA report on AEC Post 2015 titled ASEAN Rising.'

Prof. Nishimura also met with OECD Secretary-General H.E. Mr. Angel Gurria to discuss further cooperation between ERIA and OECD.

Dr. Lili Yan Ing, economist of ERIA, attended the Second Business Network Meeting of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme as a discussant in the session 'Assessing ASEAN Integration in Preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community' on 24 March.