A key lesson of the 2007–2009 global financial crisis (GFC) was the importance of containing systemic financial risk and the need for a “macroprudential†approach to surveillance and regulation that can identify system-wide risks and take appropriate actions to maintain...

This paper examines financing mechanisms to support infrastructure development and connectivity in Northeast Asia—comprising the Northeastern People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, and the...

The Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 was the biggest earthquake recorded in Japanese seismic history, and the fourth largest recorded in the world. The scope of the disaster far exceeded that of the Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. The repercussions of this disaster spread far...

In this paper we examine the changing nature of Japan’s commercial policy over the last 25 years while reviewing Japan’s changing structure of trade, FDI and economy that underlay policy changes. We argue that until the late 1990s Japan adopted a two-track approach of relying on...

Recognizing that the lack of financial resources to support the provision of basic services and to fund local development plans is a critical concern at the local level to attain improvements in key human development outcomes, the paper discusses the different sources of LGU revenues, both...

The Food-for-School Program (FSP) belongs to a class of social safety nets called conditional cash or in-kind transfers. There is growing interest on these instruments worldwide because of evidence that they have not only been useful in providing assistance to poor families but more so because...

Government education spending is expected to improve the well-being of beneficiaries and enhance their capability to earn income in the future. In this sense, directing education expenditures to the poor holds a promise for breaking the inter-generational transmission of poverty. Given this...

In line with the commitment of the Philippine government to adopt the Millennium Declaration, there have been efforts geared towards the achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGs) particularly the specific targets set for each of the eight MDGs. The MDGs include eradication of...

The improving fiscal situation in the Philippines presents an opportune time for the government to re-assess the resource requirements of achieving the MDGs and to exercise greater vigilance in ensuring that the MDGs benefit from the fiscal space that has been created. In response, this study...

The paper reviews the gender-differentiated effect of macro-economic policies by examining the impact of persistent revenue shortfalls on the part of the national government in 1997-2003 on the budget allocations for programs that support gender equality and womens priority public services in...