The Institute of Developing Economies, JETRO (IDE-JETRO), Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) organised a Policy Research Institute Conference on Globalisation and Equitable Development on 20 April 2015 at CSIS Indonesia.

Dr. Yose Rizal Damuri, Head of the Department of Economics, CSIS Indonesia, welcomed the participants and said that he hoped the results of the conference will support new developments in Indonesia.

Dr. Takashi Shiraishi, President of IDE-JETRO and a member of ERIA's Academic Advisory Council, and Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, Executive Director of ERIA, delivered the opening remarks. Prof. Nishimura said that 'the theme of the Conference on how to achieve equitable development in globalisation is ERIA's fundamental mandate since ERIA is one of the institutions to promote economic integration and the narrowing of development gaps in East Asia at the same time.'

Session 1 on 'Service Liberalisation and Non-tariff Barriers in Asia' discussed how much service industries are liberalised. It has been highlighted that harmonising service sector commitments would contribute to a smoother supply chain. Likewise, the importance of a sophisticated international database on non-tariff measures was emphasised.

Session 2 on 'International and Domestic Development Gaps' discussed the economic impact of the Shanghai Pilot Trade Zone on China's neighbouring economies and the spillover of foreign direct investments to Indonesia.

Session 3 on 'Climb-up Value Chains in Globalisation' discussed how developed countries could participate in higher value-added tasks and chains.

In session 4 on 'SME Participation in Supply Chains', the results of an ERIA study on the determinants of SM E (small and medium enterprise) participation in production networks were presented. The study found that a number of firm-level characteristics--productivity, foreign ownership, financial access, activities related to innovation, and entrepreneurship matter--increase the participation of SMEs in production networks.

Around 30 experts and policymakers gathered and exchanged ideas on what policy measures are required for equal development as globalisation increases the development gaps among nations and regions.