Re-Setting Sustainability Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A System Thinking-Based Preliminary Analysis of Two Special Economic Zones in Mainland Southeast Asia

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are a common policy instrument used by governments globally, but most significantly in developing countries, to achieve a number of targets ranging from attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the country to spurring socio-economic development. However, to what extent are SEZs socially and environmentally sustainable? Governments in developing countries across East Asia have established SEZs since the 1960s, and have supported their transformation in specialized and innovation-driven manufacturing and service areas. According to a 2019 UNCTAD Report, there are 737 in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Here, industrial and infrastructural development remains key to consolidating local political leaderships. In fact, this chapter will argue that SEZs can be seen as ”abstract spaces” aimed at governing and at supporting capital reproduction in a context of global standardization. The cases of Thilawa in Myanmar and Van Don in Northern Vietnam will be analyzed.