Asia’s phenomenal growth over the past few decades has been driven by the rise of Factory Asia. However, the global financial crisis and uncertain growth prospects in the United States and the eurozone have dampened demand for Asian exports. At the same time, rising wages threaten to erode the...

This paper provides initial insights from an ongoing ADB study “Asia’s Knowledge Economies: Next Policy Agenda”. It assesses the current state of knowledge based economies (KBEs) in a number of developing Asian countries compared to selected advanced countries in Asia and elsewhere. It...

The Development Effectiveness Review 2012 Report is the sixth annual corporate performance review of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It assesses progress in implementing Strategy 2020, ADB’s long-term strategic framework, using the performance indicators, baselines, and targets in the ADB...

One of a series of six reports on the status of marine resources in the western Pacific Ocean, the State of the Coral Triangle: Solomon Islands describes the biophysical characteristics of Solomon Islands’ coastal and marine ecosystems, the manner in which they are being exploited, the...

The Central Mekong Delta Region Connectivity Project aims to enhance connectivity across provinces of southern Viet Nam and Ho Chi Minh City. It includes two major bridges, a 15-kilometer road connecting the two bridges, and approach roads. Given the high exposure of the Mekong Delta to severe...

This paper presents the results of ADB's study on Social Protection Index in Asia and the Pacific from the poverty dimension perspective. The Social Protection Index is a compact, simple indicator designed to help governments assess social protection programs. The paper analyzes the impact on...

Wave energy conversion (WEC) and Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) are two potentially significant sources of renewable energy that are available to help the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) developing member countries (DMCs) reduce their dependence on fossil-fuel based energy generation...

Effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is important for evidence-based planning and decision making. It promotes transparency, accountability, and learning. This publication presents a brief overview of the Nepal M&E system, and highlights the strengths and challenges in integrating Scaling...

Marine resources in the Coral Triangle provide food, income, and jobs to its more than 350 million residents. However, the countries bordering this species-rich area—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste—share closer links in their ecology...