This paper examines whether prudential policies help to reduce sovereign bond vulnerability to global spillover risk in ASEAN-4 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand). We measure sovereign vulnerability within a risk connectedness network among sovereign bonds. The direct...

The financial markets of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have become increasingly integrated with regional and global markets. ASEAN economies also exhibit strong trade connectedness and interdependence with regional and global business cycles. Such connectedness...

We investigate the determinants of the performance of emerging markets (EMs) during five United States (US) Federal Reserve monetary tightening and easing cycles from 2004 to 2023. We study how macroeconomic and institutional conditions of an EM at the beginning of a cycle explain EM resilience...

During decades of market development, the individual financial markets of the member economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been progressively incorporated into regional and international markets. The aim of this study is to explore and measure the strength and...

We investigate the impact of electrification on the economic, educational, and environmental outcomes of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). We use household-level data and a novel identification scheme, whereby we instrument the electrification status with the proportion of...

Solar adoption exploded until 2015 in Bangladesh, setting a precedent for electrifying previously unconnected areas worldwide. This study tries to measure the welfare effects of solar adoption using the three rounds of the Bangladesh Integrated Household Surveys. We applied both ordinary least...

Information and communication technology or digital technology helped entrepreneurs survive the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions. For instance, they shifted to online sales in the face of stringent lockdowns and mobility constraints. The enhanced resilience of entrepreneurs, in turn,...

The paper compares fiscal cyclicality across regions and countries from 1960 to 2016. It finds that more than half of 170 countries analyzed in seven regions had, in more recent years, limited fiscal space, and that their fiscal policy was either cyclical or procyclical. This was particularly...

This paper examines the association between episodes of large fiscal impulses (expansions and adjustments) and sustainable development indicators (prosperity, resilience, and inclusivity). We provide country studies of Chile, Poland, South Africa, and Thailand, examining the components of...

Structural change has a far-reaching impact on inequality. It exposes the population to challenges and opportunities. Foreign trade and technological progress have been widely put forth as a structural driver of inequality. Broader structural change, such as demographic transition, can also...