There are few countries where ‘initial conditions' are as unfavorable as those of Laos. It is a very poor, least developed country. It is landlocked, sharing its international borders with five neighbors. It has the world's highest per capita stock of unexploded ordinance, a legacy of the Indo...

There are few countries where ‘initial conditions’ are as unfavourable as those of Laos. It is a very poor, least developed country. It is landlocked, sharing its international borders with five neighbours. It has the world’s highest per capita stock of unexploded ordinance, a legacy of...

Notwithstanding its sometimes negative international image, the Philippine economy has been performing well in recent years. The country is currently experiencing its longest period - five years - of uninterrupted positive per capita economic growth since the 1970s. The key to the recent success...

This paper examines the recent political economy of trade policy in Indonesia against the backdrop of two key events: the deep economic crisis of 1997-98, and the transition from three decades of rapid growth under an authoritarian regime to a weaker but democratic state. We investigate both...

This study focuses on the efficiency of minimum wage policy for poverty reduction, taking Indonesia as a case study. A simulation approach assesses who benefits and who pays for minimum wage increases. On the benefits side, the rise in minimum wages boosts incomes in households with low wage...