Despite significant economic growth in the Asia-Pacific, inclusive liberal institutions remain underdeveloped, allowing authoritarian capitalism to persist. Many Asian countries embrace the material benefits of market exchange while subverting its liberal foundations. In both regional discourse and academic literature, a clear divide has emerged: classical liberal scholars in the West often advocate for economic liberty without the local knowledge needed to engage with Asian contexts, while many area studies scholars critique “Western neoliberalism,” often conflating it with the authoritarianism they oppose.

In this context, Dr. Bryan Cheang leads a new research project to address this gap, by promoting Asia-centric research grounded in the principles of liberal individualism, market-based development and constitutional democracy. This project will be run from the London School of Economics’ Hayek Program and the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society at King’s College London, which will support research that applies liberal political economy principles to the region’s governance challenges.

The project will involve an Asia Freedom Fellowship symposium that will identify and support promising scholars in Asia Pacific, culminating in interdisciplinary publications to catalyse liberal academic scholarship in the region. The long-term aim is to create a network of scholars interested in liberal academic research in Asia, for Asia and by Asians. The project also hopes to generate support amongst prospective donors interested in the future of the Open Society in Asia.