Researchers

Researchers

GOTO, Kenta

GOTO, KentaAs of Mar 2021

Professor, Kansai University

Economic Development, Global Value Chains, Asian Economy, Informal Economy, Area Studies.

Educational background

  • 2005 PhD., Kyoto University.
  • 2002 Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Environmental Economics (with Distinction), Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, The University of London (currently Imperial College London).
  • 1998 Master in Public Policy, Harvard University.
  • 1993 B.A. Business and Commerce, Keio University.

Career

  • 2014-   Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University.
  • 2016-2018 Vice Dean, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University.
  • 2014-2015 Visiting Researcher, Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne.
  • 2008-2014 Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University.
  • 2007-2008 Associate Professor, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
  • 2005-2007 Technical Officer in Development Economics, International Labour Organization (ILO), Regional Office for the Asia and Pacific (Bangkok, Thailand).
  • 2002-2005 Research Fellow (DC1), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
  • 1998-2000 Associate Expert in Governance and Economic Transition, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Mongolia Country Office.
  • 1993-1996 Itochu Corporation

Books and Chapters

  • The Asian Economy: Contemporary Issues and Challenges. London and New York: Routledge (co-edited, 2020).
  • What is the Asian Economy? Its Growth Dynamism and Japan’s Future. Tokyo: Chuo-Koron Shinsha Publishers (in Japanese, 2019).
  • Asian Economy in the 21st Century. Tokyo: Yuhikaku Publishing (co-edited, in Japanese, 2018).

Journal Articles and Papers

  • "Agricultural Modernization and Rural Livelihood Strategies: The Case of Rice Farming in Laos" Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 38 (4), 467-486, 2017 (with Bounlouane Douangngeune).
  • "Labor-intensive industries in middle-income countries: traps, challenges, and the local garment market in Thailand" Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 19 (2), 369-386, 2014 (with Tamaki Endo).
  • "Upgrading, Relocating, Informalising? Local Strategies in the Era of Globalisation: The Thai Garment Industry" Journal of Contemporary Asia, 44 (1), 1-18, 2014. (with Tamaki Endo).
  • "Starting Businesses through Reciprocal Informal Subcontracting: Evidence from the Informal Garment Industry in Ho Chi Minh City" Journal of International Development, 25 (4), 562-582, 2013.
  • "Social Networks, Informal Trade Credit, and its Effects on Business Growth: Evidence from the Local Garment Trade in Vietnam" Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 18 (3), 382-395, 2013.
  • "Implications for Laos’ development of its increasing regional integration and Chinese influence" Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, 25 (2), 68-88, 2011.
  • "Competitiveness and Decent Work in Global Value Chains: Substitutionary or Complementary?" Development in Practice, 21 (7), 943-958, 2011.
  • "Meeting the Challenge of China: The Vietnamese Garment Industry in the Post MFA Era" Global Networks, 11 (3), 355-379, 2011 (with Kaoru Natsuda and John Thoburn).
  • "Challenges to the Cambodian Garment Industry in the Global Garment Value Chain" The European Journal of Development Research, 22 (4), 469-493, 2010 (with Kaoru Natsuda and John Thoburn).

Academic Association Affiliations

  • Japan Association for Asian Studies
  • Japan Society for International Development

Others

  • 32nd Asia-Pacific Award (2020) – Special Prize (hosted by the Asian Affairs Research Council and MainichiNewspapers) for the book: What is the Asian Economy? Its Growth Dynamism and Japan’s Future.

Research Projects & Papers

  • GOTO, Kenta

    Sustainability and Human Rights

    Research Projects

    Research Project » 2023FiscalYear » Asia Pacific

    AUTHOR : 
    GOTO, Kenta

    ABSTRACT

    Research leader:

    Kenta Goto (APIR Senior Researcher/Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University)

     

    Research outline:

    Acting in accordance with the SDGs, boosting ESG investment, and ensuring sustainable supply chains are indispensable factors when devising business strategies in Asia. In recent years, in particular, human rights have been gaining increasing attention. Accordingly, this project aims to explore how Japanese companies can implement the SDGs by leveraging their strengths in the global value chain of the textile industry.

  • GOTO, Kenta

    Business in Asia and SDGs implementation

    Research Projects

    Research Project » 2022FiscalYear

    AUTHOR : 
    GOTO, Kenta

    ABSTRACT

    Research leader:

    Kenta GOTO, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University

     

    Research outline:

    With the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo drawing near, firms in Kansai, including small and medium-size enterprises, are facing the need to implement the SDGs. A notable example is the shrimp farming business. Based on field research, we identify challenges and propose solutions for a successful implementation of the SDGs. We also analyze issues concerning implementing the SDGs in the textile industry, including human rights.

  • GOTO, Kenta

    Business in Asia and SDGs implementation

    Research Projects

    Research Project » 2021FiscalYear » Asia-Pacific

    AUTHOR : 
    GOTO, Kenta

    ABSTRACT

    Research leader:

    Kenta GOTO, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University

     

    Research outline:

    SDGs achievement and the development of sustainable supply chains are of critical importance when devising business strategies in Asia. This research aims to investigate “sustainable business creation” while understanding the “goal trade-offs” in relation to SDGs. Moreover, we aim to raise awareness in order to accelerate SDGs implementation throughout the supply chains of companies in the Kansai region.