About The Initiative of Asia in World Development
This initiative responds to a concern that one of the weaknesses of studies of globalization has been the absence in the study of these newly emerging relationships of area specialists with deep knowledge of the relevant languages and cultures. Because area specialists on Asia (especially China, India, and Japan), Latin America, and Africa are institutionally and professionally unlikely to have knowledge of each others’ work, the initiative brings such scholars together to work on two projects: Asia and the Global South and Shaping the Modern Asian Metropolis.
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Faculty of Asia and the Global South
- Professor Bin WongDepartment of History
Research Interests: Chinese patterns of political, economic, and social change, especially sincethe eighteenth century, both within Asian regional contexts and compared with more familiar European patterns - Professor Ching Kwan LeeDepartment of Sociology
Research Interests: Chinese investment and labor practices in Zambia; an ethnographic study of the grassroots state, the micro-foundations of durable authoritarianism in China
Faculty of Shaping the Modern Asian Metropolis
- Professor Stephen ComminsDepartment of Urban Planning
Research Interests: Regional and international development, with an emphasis on service delivery and governance in fragile states 
Professor Lisa Kim DavisDepartment of Geography
Research Interests: Urban geography, housing, and Korea; current projects on affordable housing, urban community, local citizenship, popular and feminist perspectives on the built environment, gender and public space, and housing practices- Professor Vinit MukhijaDepartment of Urban Planning
Research Interests: Research on slum upgrading and redevelopment in Mumbai (Bombay), India; research on colonias, infrastructure-poor neighborhoods, and unpermitted trailer parks in California; and an evaluation of inclusionary housing requirements in Southern California - Professor Stephanie PincetlDirector of the California Center for Sustainable Communities
Research Interests: Environmental policies and governance; land use in California; environmental justice; habitat conservation efforts; water and energy policy 
Professor Rui WangDepartment of Urban Planning
Research Interests: Policy analysis of urban development related to sustainability, transportation, and housing in the US and China- Professor Bin WongDepartment of History
Research Interests: Chinese patterns of political, economic, and social change, especially sincethe eighteenth century, both within Asian regional contexts and compared with more familiar European patterns