1 / 8Curriculum Vitae

Updated: July 10, 2024

Kenta Goto

Faculty of Economics, Kansai University
3-3-35, Yamate-cho, Suita City, Osaka, Japan 564-8680
E-mail: gotoken@kansai-u.ac.jp
Fax: +81-6-6339-7704
Education
2005
2002
1998
1993

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

Work Experience (full time positions)2014.4 – current Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University
2016.10 –2018.9
Vice Dean, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University
2014.4 – 2015.3
Visiting Researcher, Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne
2008.4 – 2014.3
Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kansai University
2007.4 – 2008.3
Associate Professor, College of Asia Pacific Management, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific
University
2005.3 – 2007.3
Technical Officer in Development Economics, Regional Office for Asia and thePacific, International Labour Organization (ILO), Bangkok, Thailand
2002.4 – 2005.3
Research Fellow, The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
1998.8 – 2000.3
Associate Expert in Governance and Economic Transition, United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
1993.4 – 1996.6
Textile Group, Itochu Corporation
Work Experience (part time positions, consultancies, and advisory services – selected only )Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Japan
2015.9-2016.3
Advisor: ODA Evaluation Mission to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
2020.11-12
Member: Research and Analysis to Establish an STI for SDGs Platform(Implementation - Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC)
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
2022 - current
JICA Expert: Mongolia-Japan Human Resources Development Center (MOJC)
Business Course (Business education). (Implementation – Relo Excel)
2021
JICA Expert: Kyrgyz National University – Kyrgyz Republic Japan Center Program(Business education). (Implementation – Relo Excel)
2018 - current
JICA Course Leader – Export Promotion and Marketing Strategy - Capacity
Development Program (Implementation, PREX)
2016 - current
JICA Course Leader – FDI Promotion Capacity Development (Implementation –Pacific Resource Exchange Center, PREX)
2017 - 2020
JICA Expert: Laos Japan Institute Private Sector Capacity Development Program –Course Instructor for “ASEAN Economic Integration”, MBA Program, National
University of Laos. (Implementation – Relo Panasonic Excel International)
2011.3-4
JICA Expert: Regional Integration and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of
Cambodia: Realities, Challenges and Opportunities (Cambodia Japan Cooperation
Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

2 / 82011.2
2010.3
2001.3 - 2003.12

JICA Expert: Cambodia in the Global Economy: Upgrading for a Sustainable,
Dynamic and Competitive Industry (Cambodia Japan Cooperation Center, Phnom
Penh, Cambodia)
JICA Expert: The Cambodian Garment Industry in the Global Value Chain: Upgrading
for a Sustainable, Dynamic and Competitive Industry (Cambodia Japan Cooperation
Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
JICA Expert: Industry Policy Support, JICA-NEU project, Vietnam

Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO), Japan
2013.4 - 2014.3
Research Fellow: Research Project B-401 “Connecting Developing Country Firms to
Textiles and Apparel Value Chains: The Role of Aid for Trade”
2011.4 - 2013.3
Research Fellow: Research Project C-04 “Low Income Garment Producing Countries
in the Post MFA Era”
2010.4 - 2012.3
Research Fellow: Research Project 4-24 “Economic Policies and Economic Structuresof Transition Economies in Southeast Asia: A Comparative Study of Myanmar andVietnam”
2007.4 - 2009.3
Research Fellow: Research Project 4-12 “Changing Management Strategies ofVietnam’s Economic Entities”
2004.4 - 2005.10 Research Fellow: Research Project “The Transformation of Vietnam’s Industry during
the Period of Transition: Aspects of Development Led by the Growth of Domestic
Enterprises”
United Nations Organizations
2021.9 – 2023.2
ILO. External Collaborator: “Establishing Guidelines for Responsible Corporate
Behavior for the Textile Industry Project” (Joint with the Ministry of Economy, Trade,and Industry, and the Japan Textile Federation)
2018.11 - 2020.2 ILO. External Collaborator: ILO-OECD “Responsible Supply Chains in Asia” Project(EU funded).
2015.9 - 2016.5
ILO. External Collaborator: ILO project “More and Better Jobs through Socially
Responsible Labour Practices in Vietnam” (Japan funded)2012.5
UNDP and ILO. Presenter: Meeting on the Post-2015 Framework for Development:
Growth, Structural Change and Employment, Tokyo.
2009.10
ILO. External Collaborator: Seminar and Technical Workshop of the Networking of
National Institutes for Labour Studies Project (jointly with Thammasat University,
Bangkok, Thailand)
2007.9
ILO. External Collaborator: The Fourth Technical Workshop on Promoting Decent
Work in Global Production Systems in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
World Bank
2012.7

Speaker: Vocational Training and Economic Development, KDIS Development Case
Study Series, TDLC, The World Bank (Tokyo)

Asia Pacific Institute of Research
2016.4 - current
Senior Research Fellow
Research Leader: Mainstreaming and Implementing Sustainable Development Goals(2019- ), New Dynamics of Middle-Income Countries (2016-2018)2015.4 - 2016.3
Researcher: Political and Economic Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific (Research
Leader: Professor Fukunari Kimura, Keio University)
2012.3 - 2014.3
Researcher: Asia Pacific Economic Outlook “Kansai-based Japanese firms andeconomic cooperation schemes in Asia” (Research Leader: Professor Shigeyuki Abe,
Doshisha University)
Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren)2017 - current
Coordinator: ASEAN Management Seminar
2017
Advisor: Overseas Business Development Coordination and Support – Effective
Utilization of Public Organizations’ Schemes3 / 8Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition（Osaka Kansai EXPO 2025）
2024 - current
Member: Expert Committee for the Sustainable EXPO, Human Rights Working
Group
ASEAN Japan Centre
2020.1-2
Consultant: Study on Japanese market to promote exports from CLMV Project2019.1- 2019.11
Consultant: Promoting Global Value Chains in ASEAN Project
Ikeda City, Osaka2017.1- 2018.3

Director: Ikeda City Theme Park Initiative

Miyakonojyo City, Miyazaki Prefecture2017.7 - 2018.3
Committee Member (Chair): A Vision to Promote Miyakonojyo Greater-Region
towards Sustainable Livelihoods (unofficial translation)
Adjunct Lecturer Positions
2021 - current
Soochow University (International Programs), Taipei, Taiwan: Doing Business in
Asia (Graduate, online)
2018
Doshisha University (Faculty of Policy Studies): Asian Economics (Undergraduate)2013 and 2015
Doshisha Business School: Foreign Direct Investment (Graduate), Regionalism andRegionalization (Graduate)2012 – 2013
Osaka University of Commerce: Economics of ASEAN and South Asia (Graduate)2010 – 2013,
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University: Development Economics (Undergraduate);
2019, 2021, 2022 Introduction to Development Studies (Undergraduate); The Economy of the Asia
Pacific (Undergraduate); Comparative Economic Development in Asia and the Pacific(Graduate)2001 – 2004,
Kobe City University of Foreign Studies: Development Economics (undergraduate),
2016.
Area Studies of Southeast Asia 1 (Undergraduate)
Honors and Awards
32nd Asia-Pacific Award (2020) – Special Prize (hosted by the Asian Affairs Research Council and Mainichi
Newspapers) for the book What is the Asian Economy? Its Growth Dynamism and Japan’s Future.
Publications
A. Articles in refereed academic journals
2017“Agricultural Modernization and Rural Livelihood Strategies: The Case of Rice Farming in
Laos” Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 38(4), 467-486. (with Bounlouane Douangngeune,
online-published on January 11, 2017).
2014“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. (with TamakiEndo) (Online published on February 5, 2014).

2014“Upgrading, Relocating, Informalising? Local Strategies in the Era of Globalisation: The Thai
Garment Industry” Journal of Contemporary Asia, 44(1), 1-18. (with Tamaki Endo) (Online
published on May 29, 2013).

2013“Social Networks, Informal Trade Credit, and its Effects on Business Growth: Evidence fromthe Local Garment Trade in Vietnam” Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 18 (3), 382-395.
(Online Published on December 24, 2012)2013“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.
(Online Published on May 2, 2011)2011“Implications for Laos’ development of its increasing regional integration and Chinese
inﬂuence” Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, 25(2), 68-88.

4 / 82011“Competitiveness and Decent Work in Global Value Chains: Substitutionary orComplementary?” 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 (with Kaoru Natsuda and John Thoburn).

2010“Challenges to the Cambodian Garment Industry in the Global Garment Value Chain”, The
European Journal of Development Research, 22(4), 469 - 493 (with Kaoru Natsuda and John
Thoburn).

2007“The Development Strategy of the Vietnamese Export Oriented Garment Industry: Vertical
Integration or Process and Product Upgrading?” Asian Profile, 35(5), 521-529.

2005“The Production and Distribution Structure of Ho Chi Minh City’s Domestic Apparel
Industry: Interfirm Relationships of Personal Networks and Subcontracting Arrangements”,
Ajia Keizai, 46(10), 2-25 (in Japanese).

B. Doctoral Dissertation
2005“Structural Analysis of the Vietnamese Apparel Industry: The Organization of Production
and Distribution from an Interfirm Relationships Perspective.” Doctoral Dissertation, Kyoto
University.
C1. Books (Single Authored)
2019
What is the Asian Economy? Its Growth Dynamism and Japan’s Future, Chuo-Koron Shinsha Publishers(in Japanese). (this book won the 32nd Asia-Pacific Award – Special Prize, which is hosted by the
Asian Affairs Research Council and Mainichi Newspapers)
C2. Books (Edited)
2020
The Asian Economy: Contemporary Issues and Challenges, London and New York: Routledge (Jointly
edited with Tamaki Endo and Asei Ito).
2018

Asian Economy in the 21st Century, Tokyo: Yuhikaku Publishing (Jointly edited with Tamaki Endo,
Asei Ito and Keiichiro Oizumi, in Japanese).

C3. Book Chapters (including refereed chapters)
2018“Catch-up Industrialization” in Japan Society for International Development (eds.) Encyclopedia ofInternational Development, Tokyo: Maruzen Publishers, pp. 388-389 (in Japanese).
2017“Development Through Innovation: The Case of the Asian Apparel Value Chain” in Little,
Stephen E.; Go, Frank M.; and Teresa Shuk-Ching Poon (eds.) Global Innovation and
Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Experiences from East and West, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave
Macmillan, pp.95-111. refereed

2014“Vietnam: Upgrading from the Export to the Domestic Market” in Fukunishi, Takahiro andTatsufumi Yamagata (eds) The Garment Industry in Low-income Countries: An Entry Point ofIndustrialization, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 105-131. refereed

2014“The Evolution of International Production and Distribution Networks in Post-War Asia” inMiyagi, Taizo (ed) Japan and the Creation of Post-War Asia. Tokyo: Chuo-koron Publishers, pp. 167205 (in Japanese).

2014“Designing and Implementing a Policy Proposal Project -‘KUILO’and the International Labour
Organization”in Iwasaki, Chihiro (ed) The Design of Learning Environment for Active Learning: The
Challenge of Kansai University. Osaka: Kansai University Press, pp. 313-327 (in Japanese).

2013“The Garment Industry in Myanmar and Vietnam: A Performance Gap and Its Causes” inKubo, Koji (eds) Myanmar and Vietnam: A Comparative Analysis of Transition Strategies and Economic
Policies. IDE Research Series 606, Chiba: Institute of Developing Economies, pp. 101-135 (in5 / 8Japanese). Refereed
2011“Laos, the Chinese Economy, and Economic Development: A Preliminary Analysis” in Mizuno,
Ichiro and Yoshikazu Nagai (eds) Plural Development and Exchange of Economy and Company in China,
Economic & Political Studies Series No. 151, Osaka: Kansai University Press, 81-105 (inJapanese).

2009“Globalization and Development Strategies of Vietnamese Garment Suppliers: Production –Distribution Networks and Enterprise Performance”, in Sakata Shozo (eds) Vietnam’s Economic
Entities in Transformation. IDE Research Series 579, Chiba: Institute of Developing Economies,
123-154. (in Japanese). refereed*This book has been translated into English and published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2013 under the same
title.
2006“The Organization of Production and Distribution in the “Original Brand” Apparel Industry of
Ho Chi Minh City: Knowledge-Intensive Functions and the Internalization of Production andDistribution” in Fujita, Mai (eds) The Transformation of Vietnam’s Industry during the Period ofTransition: Development Led by the Growth of Domestic Enterprises. IDE Research Series 552, Chiba:
Institute of Developing Economies, 105-136 (in Japanese). refereed

2003“The Textile and Garment Industry: An Analysis of the Underdeveloped Distribution System”
in Ohno, Kenichi and Nozomu Kawabata (eds) Vietnam's Industrialization Strategy in the Age of
Globalization. Tokyo: Nihon Hyoronsha Publishers, 125-172. (in Japanese).

2003“Nganh Cong Nghiep Det May (The Textile and Garment Industry)” in Chinh Sach Cong Nghiep
va Thuong Mai Cua Viet Nam Trong Boi Canh Hoi Nhap (Industrial and Trade Policy in the Age of
Globalization). Hanoi: National Statistical Publishing, 145-200. (in Vietnamese).

D. Other publications (non-refereed articles, research reports, policy briefs, book reviews, and working papers)
2024"Viet Nam's Textile and Garment Industry in the Global Value Chain", in Kimura, F. (ed.) VietNam 2045: Development Issues and Challenges, Jakarta: ERIA, Economic Research Institute for
ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), pp. 337-358.
2023“’Business and Human Rights’ in the Era of Globalization” in Kansai and the Asia Pacific: Economic
Outlook 2022-2023 (Associate Editor), Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research, pp. 56-66.

2022

Responsible Supply Chains in Asia: The Case of the Electronics Industry. International Labour Office,Tokyo: ILO. (also published in Japanese)

2022“Labor Markets in Asia and the Informal Economy during the COVID-19 Pandemic” in Kansai
and the Asia Pacific: Economic Outlook 2022-2022 (Associate Editor), Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of
Research, pp. 80-92.

2022“Implementing SDGs for the revitalization of the local economy – the challenges of the SKIMA
Project” in The Academia’s Challenges for SDGs, Osaka: Kansai University Press, pp. 214-226. (inJapanese)

2021“SDGs in globalization: Challenges in the mainstreaming into business practices” in Asia BusinessCompass, pp. 2-5. (in Japanese)

2021“The Asian Labor Market and the Informal Economy amidst the Corona Pandemic” in Kansai
Economy White Paper 2021 (Associate Editor), Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research, pp. 53-59.
(in Japanese)

2020“The Asian Economy and Global Value Chains amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic” in Kansai
Economy White Paper 2020 (Associate Editor), Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research, pp. 50-57.
(in Japanese)6 / 8

An English version has been published in 2021.
2020“Living the era of connectivity” (relay essay series “The future of Asia”), in Shosai no Mado (TheWindow of an Author’s Study), Tokyo: Yuhikaku Publishing, 25-29 (in Japanese).

2020

Book review. Tran Van Tho and Shunji Karikomi “The middle income trap and China and
ASEAN” in Asian Studies 66(2), 98-100 (in Japanese).

2020“SDGs and Global Value Chains” in Kansai and the Asia Pacific: Economic Outlook 2019-2020(Associate Editor), Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research, pp. 71-79.

2020“Author's Note - What is the Asian Economy?” in Mita Hyoron, Keio University, p 93 (inJapanese).

2019“SDGs and Global Value Chains” Kansai Economy White Paper 2019, Osaka: Asia Pacific Instituteof Research, pp. 75-78. (in Japanese)

2019“Labor issues in Vietnam and future challenges” in Rodo-Chosa (Labor Research), Labor ResearchCouncil, pp. 9-13. (in Japanese)

2019“New Asian Dynamisms and Japan’s Development Strategy” in Kansai and the Asia Pacific:
Economic Outlook 2018-19, Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research (Maruzen Planet), pp. 45-55.
(an updated English translation of the chapter below). (Associate Editor)

2018“The New Asian Dynamisms and Japan’s Development Strategy” in Kansai Economy White Paper
2018, Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research, pp. 80-85. (in Japanese).

2018“New developments of middle-income economies in a diverse and multipolar Asia” in Kansai and
the Asia Pacific: Economic Outlook 2017-2018, Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research (Maruzen
Planet), pp.87-91.

2018(Book Review). Industrial Organization in Iran: The Weakly Organized System of the IranianApparel Industry by Yoko Iwasaki, Singapore, Springer, 2017, vii + 102 pp. Developing Economies,
56(2), 145-148. (IF. 0.500)

2018“The Electronics Industry of Vietnam and Global Supply Chains: Improving Competitivenessand Socially Responsible Management and Employment Strategies” DIO 31(4) (No. 336), JTUC
Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards, pp. 9-12 (in Japanese).

2017

More and Better Jobs through Socially Responsible Labour and Business Practices in the Electronics Sector ofViet Nam. International Labour Office, Geneva: ILO (with Yukiko Arai) (Online available on
February 6, 2018).

2017“Chapter 3 Changing Asian Economy and Japan” in Kansai Economy White Paper 2017 Asia Pacific
Institute of Research, pp. 59-63. (in Japanese).

2017“‘Firms’ and ‘Nations’ in the Era of Globalization: Vietnam's Textile and Apparel Industry and
the TPP” in Kansai and the Asia Pacific Economic Outlook, Osaka: Asia Pacific Institute of Research(Maruzen Planet), pp.110-114.

2017“Socially Responsible Labour Practices and Competitiveness in Global Supply Chains” in The
Journal of Ohara Institute for Social Research (Hosei University), pp 30-39. (in Japanese).

2017“The State and Enterprise under Globalization” Weekly Economist (Mainichi Shimbun Publishing),
pp 94. (in Japanese).

2016“Innovation capabilities needed! Japan’s challenges in globalization” Kyodo Weekly, pp 8-9. (inJapanese).

7 / 82016“Vietnam's Minimum Wage in Globalization and Industrial Upgrading” Work & Life, Japan
Association for Advancement of ILO Activities, pp 34-39. (in Japanese).

2016“Enterprises and Nations in Globalization” Kansai Economy White Paper 2016 Asia Pacific Instituteof Research, pp 12-16. (in Japanese).

2016“Country Assistance Evaluation of Vietnam (Third Party Evaluation)” Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Government of Japan (with Tatsufumi Yamagata and KPMG AZSA LLC). (in Japanese,and summary versions in English and Vietnamese).

2014

Book Review on the Economy of Myanmar in Asian Studies (Aziya Kenkyu, Journal of the Japan
Association for Asian Studies), 59(3/4), 84-87 (in Japanese).

2014“The value chain of the textile and apparel industry” in Kansai Economic White Paper, Asia Pacific
Institute of Research, pp. 71-75 (in Japanese).

2013“Aid for Trade and Value Chains in Textiles and Apparel” Sector Study Report for the Fourth Global
Review of Aid for Trade: Connecting to value chains, 1-55, Geneva: WTO, OECD and IDE/JETRO.

2012“Is the Vietnamese Garment Industry at a Turning Point?: Upgrading from the Export to theDomestic Market” IDE Discussion Paper No.373, IDE-JETRO.

2012“What can the Myanmar garment industry learn from Vietnam’s experience?” Policy Review on
Myanmar Economy No.2, Bangkok Research Center, Bangkok: IDE-JETRO (with Toshihiro Kudo)

2012“The Vietnamese Garment Industry: Functional upgrading and the domestic market” in Textile
Trends (Seni Torendo), May-June 2012, Chiba: Toray Corporate Business Research Inc., pp. 36-40(in Japanese).

2012“Is the Vietnamese Garment Industry at a Turning Point? Upgrading from the Export to theDomestic Market” in Fukunishi, Takahiro (eds) Dynamics of the Garment Industry in Low-Income
Countries: Experience of Asia and Africa, Research Report 2011-IV-10, Chiba: Institute ofDeveloping Economies, pp. 1-23.

2011“The Vietnamese Garment Industry: Current Situation and its Challenges” in Textile Trends (SeniTorendo), July-August, Chiba: Toray Corporate Business Research Inc., 67-72 (in Japanese).

2011“Industry Performance Differences and its Determinants” in Kubo, Koji (eds) Economic
Policies and Economic Structures of Transition Economies in Southeast Asia: a Comparative
Study of Myanmar and Vietnam, Research Report 4-24, Chiba: Institute of Developing Economies,
pp. 103-123 (in Japanese).

2009“The Current Situation and Future Prospects of the Garment Industry of Vietnam – From an
Upgrading and Development Perspective” in Kagaku Keizai (Chemical Economics), Tokyo; pp. 58-64.
(in Japanese).

2008“The Changing Global Trading Environment and the Garment Industry” in Toshihiro Kudo eds.
Development Prospects of The Garment Industry of Myanmar – with Special Reference to the Japanese Market,
Institute of International Studies and Training, pp.1-12. (in Japanese).

2008“The Vietnamese Garment Industry in the Post MFA Era: Upgrading, Relocating, or Moving
Out?” Working Paper WPF-28, Economic Society of Kansai University, pp. 1-23.

2008“Enterprise Strategies of Garment Firms in the Post MFA Era” in Shozo Sakata eds. VietnameseEnterprises in a Changing Economy, Institute of Developing Economics, pp. 89-117. (in Japanese).

2007“Industrial Upgrading of the Vietnamese Garment Industry: An Analysis from the Global Value
Chains Perspective”, Ritsumeikan Center for Asia Pacific Studies (RCAPS) Working Paper No.07-1.

8 / 8

2002“Taking Risks and Creating Value: the Challenges for the Vietnamese Textile and Garment
Industry” NEU-JICA Discussion Paper 5. Hanoi.

1998“Kenya, The Textile Industry and Economic Growth” PAE, Harvard University, Cambridge,
MA (with Chad Steinberg).

Journal referee services
Business History Review, Development in Practice, The European Journal of Development Research, Journal of Asian
Economics, Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Oxford
Development Studies, Southeast Asian Studies