- Why has air pollution become so bad in South Asia in recent years? (Consider the region at large, not merely the case of Delhi.) Think about both DIRECT causes (what are the principal pollutants, what are their chief sources?) and INDIRECT (or ‘underlying’) causes (think about economic trends, political actions, population-related factors, agriculture, climate). Is poor air quality an inevitable consequence of development? What if anything can be done about it?
- What was the ‘Green Revolution’ and what were its most significant outcomes in South Asia? (Think in terms of positive or benign effects as well, not just the negative.) In what ways was the Green Revolution political? Did it achieve its intended goals, broadly interpreted? Could it have been done better in South Asia and if so how, in your opinion?
EAST ASIA - Japan has a low birth rate and an aging population; consequently, its age structure is shifting (increasing numbers of elderly, declining youth population) and its overall population is falling by about 0.4% annually. What are the underlying causes of this demographic shift? In what ways is it considered a problem for the country? What can the Japanese government do to address the issue, and do any of these ‘solutions’ come with their own built-in problems?
- While the non-Han Chinese population of China is small in percentage terms (about 10% of the total), one tenth of 1.44 billion represents more than 140 million people. How does the government of China view the country’s ethnic minorities, particularly Muslim ethnic groups of western China such as the Uyghurs and Kazakhs? What have been the government’s policies toward these groups in the era of Xi Jinping? What are the underlying goals of these policies, and do you think they are achieving, or will achieve, their intended results?
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