The COVID-19 crisis is casting a long shadow over ASEAN and its member states. The number of individuals infected by it is continued to surge daily. COVID-19 has rapidly morphed into unprecedented health, economic and geopolitical crisis. Among the sectors that have practically ground to a halt are the tourism, aviation and travel sectors. This paper attempts to examine the initiatives taken by several ASEAN countries in mitigating the impact of COVID-19. A comparative analysis of the economic stimulus packages of selected ASEAN countries were analysed in order to dampen the effect of COVID-19. To make evident this statement, several evidences are presented in this paper by referring to published data, and information from secondary sources such as scholarly articles and journals, newspapers and data from the web. The findings were also strengthened by connecting those initiatives with a political economy theory of fiscal policy. The study found that the majority of ASEAN countries employ fiscal policy in order to stimulate the economy and encourage full employment.

The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has adversely affected enterprise performance, which has led to inequalities, particularly for rural micro-entrepreneurs. Therefore, ensuring business survival through social capital and entrepreneurial skills as coping strategies for the rural micro-entrepreneurs is important to sustain their livelihoods. Both coping strategies can enhance the survival rate during a crisis, but there is limited knowledge on how enterprise performance of rural micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) can be improved. This study examined the linkages between social skills, entrepreneurial skills (knowledge, experience), and enterprise performance during a crisis. The Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) Triangle Village was selected as a proxy for the rural population, and sampling frame of 543 micro-entrepreneurs was obtained from the Local District Office. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed in a systematic random order based on a minimum sample size of 85 calculated using the G*Power statistical tool. The final 134 usable samples were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results ascertained that the direct positive effect of social capital on enterprise performance was significant (β = 0.521, t = 8.060, p < 0.001) and that social capital had a specific and indirect effect on enterprise performance through entrepreneurial skills (β = 0.520, LCL = 0.378, UCL = 0.651, p < 0.001). The study also reported the full mediating effect of entrepreneurial skills on the social capital-enterprise performance relationship. This study proposes practices to develop adaptive entrepreneurs that can adapt to crisis challenges.

The involvement of households in the recycling activity in the last decade has been perceived as an effective way to reduce the amount of solid wastes in the landfill areas as well as to reuse the materials. The recycling practice among the public is very crucial in order to reduce the problem of overwhelming landfills and energy. The ever-increasing flow of household waste is an enormous environmental problem in many countries. By looking at the tremendous amount of solid wastes, Malaysia needs public participation in solid waste management by recycling the unused materials. Thus, the present study explores predictors that lead households to participate in recycling activities. A qualitative approach is employed in this study where key stakeholders were interviewed in order to get their different perspectives with regard to recycling activities among households. This study is vital as it supplements the information to the existing body of knowledge on households’ recycling activity in Malaysia.

Many urban regions, including those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, have identified waste management as a major environmental issue. Even though Malaysia's recycling rate has increased from 21% to 24.6%, it still lags well behind the world leader, Germany, which has a recycling rate of 56%. It is crucial that recycling be promoted in Malaysia because of the many positive effects it has on the environment. Against the backdrop of Malaysia's dismally low recycling rate, this research aims to investigate the factors influencing recycling intention among residents of Flat P.P.R Sri Pantai, Kuala Lumpur. This study uses a cross-sectional survey design to investigate what characteristics are associated with recycling behavior at the residential level. Households in PPR Sri Pantai, Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur, are the unit analysis of the study. This study employs a correlation approach as it examines the relationship between independent variables (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, moral norms, and perceived policy effectiveness) and the dependent variable (recycling intention). The results revealed that the independent variables such as attitude, subjective norms, and moral norms significantly influenced the household recycling intentions. Taking into account people's environmental worries and their views on the risks posed to their personal information, this research has important theoretical and practical implications for changing recycling habits. The study's findings could potentially be used as a reference by policymakers and the Department of Environment as they formulate recycling initiatives to improve the long-term viability of urban neighborhoods.

A wide range of services provided by coasts and oceans, directly and indirectly, contribute to economic activity and growth on a global scale. Under a blue economy, various international organizations promote sustainable coastal and oceanic development, including the United Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and some East Asian economies. More than a third of all research focusing on the blue economy focus on its conception, emphasizing the importance of ocean ecosystem services and ocean governance. However, little research has been done on the Malaysian context of the blue economy and its relevance to the Malaysian government's efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This qualitative study applied a content analysis approach for data collection and the analysis was presented descriptively. The results of the study found that the Malaysian blue economy concept is in line with six goals highlighted in the SDGs as goal 1 -No Poverty; Goal 2 -Zero Hunger; Goal 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Goal 14 -Life Below Water; Goal 15-Climate Change; and Goal 17 -Partnership for the Goals. This study adds to the current literature by investigating the blue economy in the Malaysian context. This conceptual paper will assist policymakers in identifying the primary driving reasons underlying the expansion of Malaysian blue economy activities. This will assist in focusing on policy interventions.