Scholars in the region widely acknowledge that the political systems of countries in Southeast Asia are shaped by colonial legacies, histories of independence, Cold War interventions and by processes of globalisation since the mid-twentieth century. Globalisation not only creates the demand to engage with international agreements and organisations, but influences economic growth rates, poverty and inequality, as well as the functioning of democracy, where that applies. Globalisation facilitates transnational corporations to extract resources from low labour-cost countries, often with few benefits to the nation compared to profit margins. Moreover, the promotion of global brand consumerism impacts on the long-standing production of local goods and services. Moreover, militarisation and corruption in business and politics impacts negatively on the human rights of people in the region. Nevertheless, across Southeast Asia there are grassroots organisations dedicated to bringing about political and economic transparency, as well as greater social justice. They are being documented and critically analysed by social science researchers from the region.