Governance in fact is the factor of what and how Myanmar people’s livelihoods today. Given that governance is very fundamental issue, EMReF conducts thematic studies as well as cross cutting issues in its socioeconomic research and social assessments. In terms of thematic issues EMReF has conducted various studies including “Local Leadership and Institutional Analysis in 2010”, “Local Leadership and Institutional Analysis in 2012” and Fresh Water Fishery Governance in Ayeyarwaddy and Rakhine State. The Local Leadership and Institutional Analysis in 2010 and 2012 mainly studied on village level governance. Being recorded village governance in areas of majority ethnic Bamar and minority ethnic areas in the last days of military regime and initial years of so-called civilian regime, the two reports on local leadership and institutions stands as baseline regarding on the local governance.Studies on fresh water fishery governance in Ayeyarwaddy region and Rakhine state were conducted with the purpose of giving policy inputs to development of Fresh Water Fishery Law by each parliament in two areas.

• Local Leadership and Institutional Analysis (2010) conducted with the financial and technical support of the World Bank. The report was titled “What Lies Beneath”. [to link up to the download under the publications]
• Local Leadership and Institutional Analysis (2012) conducted with the financial support of UNDP. The report was titled “A View From Below”.
• The fishery governance studies are conducted with the support of Oxfam International and Pyoe Pin organizations.