Asian cities are particularly vulnerable to risks associated with natural disasters. While they are exposed to various types of natural hazards, flooding and other water-related disasters pose particularly significant risks and undermine long-term economic growth, especially in coastal cities....

Two-thirds of the world's poor live in Asia. The major objective for the region, therefore, must be to reduce poverty. It has become clear in the wake of the crisis that the public sector can no longer shoulder the burden of financing pro-poor growth alone. At the same time, it is also clear...

The sheer volume of debt hanging over Asian companies suggests that corporate insolvency should remain a top policy concern. This conference proceedings presents reports from each country on the trends and developments in debt and credit risk since the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. It also...