Asia and the Pacific, despite visible signs of prosperity due to years of rapid economic growth, has made insufficient progress in freeing its population from hunger and malnutrition, the most basic marker of true development. Given the importance of reducing poverty and hunger as core...

This paper argues that, with the removal of international sanctions and the opening up of the economy, fostering economic activity and facilitating investment in new and more productive industries will best facilitate inclusive economic growth in Myanmar. With a perspective that emphasizes the...

This paper approaches inclusive development in South and South-West Asia through the framework of structural transformation and productive capacities. It discusses the opportunities for these countries to build their productive capacities through product diversification and presents a list of...

Catastrophes caused by natural hazards that hit “without warning” serve as grim reminders of the challenge that governments and civil society face in identifying and protecting the areas that are at risk of extreme events. This paper presents a methodology to estimate the threshold of social...

Remarkable growth and structural transformation in a number of developing Asian countries in the period after World War II have earned them the reputation for being “models” of successful development. Among the factors that contributed to their success were macroeconomic and regulatory...

South-South Cooperation and Triangular Development Cooperation (SSC and TDC) in Asia- Pacific have grown in importance over the past decades with the rising complementarities and emergence of growth poles in the region and due to attention paid by the governments to regional economic...

Tax rates are key tools for mobilizing domestic resources and addressing specific market failures. Countries often offer tax concessions or reduce corporate tax rates in order to boost private investment or to direct investment to “desired areasâ€. Corporate tax rates, especially for...

Although the Asia-Pacific region has made significant progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most of its countries are still off-track on one or more indicators. This policy brief examines what would it take for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to meet their MDG targets by...

The necessity for a global currency for the global economy was recognized as early as in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference and after an over 60-year experimenting with various settings, the issue is on the policy agenda again. The recent global crisis highlighted the limitations of the use of...

High food prices have put increasing inflationary pressures across the Asia-Pacific region and are seen as a key downside risk to sustaining recovery in 2011. Bad weather in important food-producing countries, increasing use of crops in biofuels and speculation in commodity markets have added to...