JUST as Asean leaders met in Myanmar’s capital of Nay Pyi Taw together with their partners from China, India, Japan and the United States this past week, the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the research arm of management consultancy McKinsey & Co, released a report on South-East Asia titled Southeast Asia at the crossroads: Three paths for prosperity.
The report’s authors say low productivity and low output per worker remain the most serious issues in the region, which is trying to integrate under the Asean Economic Community (AEC) framework.