Группа авторов
Список книг автора Группа авторовThe Political Economy of Economic Reform in the Pacific
This collection of studies on the political economy of Pacific island countries was authored by writers from various disciplinary backgrounds. Their research confirms the results of political economy studies of economic reform in developing countries from elsewhere around the world and shines new light on the kinds of obstacles that have to be overcome for economic reform to be successful in the Pacific. This publication presents many valuable lessons for agencies assisting in the economic development of Pacific island countries.
The Political Economy of Economic Reform in the Pacific
Over the last several years, Vanuatu has become one of the fastest growing economies in the Pacific region driven primarily by tourism, construction, and aid inflows. The achievement of strong economic growth has also occurred on the back of improved economic policy, effective fiscal management, and improved environment for private sector development. While recent gains have been impressive, more remains to be done to sustain growth and ensure the benefits are distributed throughout the nation. The Government is now on a sound financial footing and is well placed to address key development issues. The report discusses options for responding to these needs with a view to helping guide public policy formulation in Vanuatu.
Social Protection for Older Persons
The rising number of older persons in Asia has accentuated the importance of strengthening the systems of social protection in the region. This book examines the effectiveness and relevance of noncontributory or social pensions in supporting older persons in Asia. It discusses the political economy and financial sustainability of social pension reform, implications for gender equity and social rights, and design and implementation challenges. Case studies from Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Viet Nam, and South Caucasus and Central Asia provide key lessons for informing development policy and practice in Asia and the Pacific.
Rebuilding Lives and Homes in Aceh and Nias, Indonesia
In December 2004, a seaquake shook the Indian Ocean, producing a powerful tsunami. The greatest damage occurred in Indonesia, nearest the quake's epicenter. The Asian Development Bank responded with a $290 million grant under the Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Support Project. Housing accounted for more of this grant than any other sector. While this book focuses on housing, more broadly it is about how implementing post-disaster projects under exceedingly difficult conditions can achieve success, while simultaneously incorporating the community-based approach recommended by donors. The book's refreshing glimpse into on-the-ground, post-disaster project implementation contains important lessons for future disaster-response donor assistance.
Pension Systems in East and Southeast Asia
Population aging poses two major challenges for Asian policy makers: (i) sustaining rapid economic growth in the face of less favorable demographic conditions; and (ii) providing affordable, adequate, sustainable old-age income support for a large and growing elderly population. This book explores the second issue by examining the pension systems of eight countries in East and Southeast Asia: the People's Republic of China, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. It also puts forward both country-specific and region-wide reforms to address two critical areas of pension reform, namely, fairness and sustainability.
Land and Cultural Survival
Development in Asia faces a crucial issue: the right of indigenous peoples to build a better life while protecting their ancestral lands and cultural identity. An intimate relationship with land expressed in communal ownership has shaped and sustained these cultures over time. But now, public and private enterprises encroach upon indigenous peoples' traditional domains, extracting minerals and timber, and building dams and roads. Displaced in the name of progress, indigenous peoples find their identities diminished, their livelihoods gone. Using case studies from Cambodia, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines, nine experts examine vulnerabilities and opportunities of indigenous peoples. Debunking the notion of tradition as an obstacle to modernization, they find that those who keep control of their communal lands are the ones most able to adapt.
Inclusive Cities
Slums, informal settlements, and dilapidated inner-city tenements are problems that many cities in Asia and the Pacific struggle with while their economies try to modernize and develop. Their existence puts at risk not only these economies but also poor people occupying vulnerable areas that climate change and natural disasters will only make worse. Slums are being addressed in countries in Asia and the Pacific but not yet at the rate required to create livable cities. ADB's Strategy 2020 aims for «livable cities» and will address the range of problems resulting from rapid urbanization and the limited capacity of basic service delivery associated with present and future urban growth. To accomplish the vision of livable cities, livelihood opportunities and shelter options of incremental land and housing development are important. ADB's developing member countries will look for viable lending opportunities to finance inclusive cities.
Enhancing Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific
On 21-22 April 2010, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) organized a social protection conference in Manila. Interest in social protection has been growing since the global financial crisis heightened awareness of the many millions of people in Asia and the Pacific who live in poverty or vulnerable situations. Thus, policy makers are now keen to develop social protection systems that can assist people to both leave and stay out of poverty. The conference brought together people from ADB, its developing member countries, partner agencies, research institutes, and civil society organizations to exchange valuable experience and information and discuss ideas on how to develop social protection and expand it for the well-being of people in Asia and the Pacific. This book features selected papers from the conference that respond to the need for integrated and inclusive social protection to improve the quality of peoples' lives and livelihoods. Specific areas emphasized are health insurance, pensions, the informal sector, measures targeting children, and measuring and monitoring social protection.
Economics of Climate Change in East Asia
This regional study includes the People's Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia and examines how strategies for adapting to climate change up to 2050 can be combined with measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in East Asia. Besides discussing climate model results for costs of adaptation in infrastructure, coastal protection, and agriculture, the study estimates costs for sector-specific mitigation options and the total abatement potential for 2020 and 2030. Long-term strategies for addressing the impacts of climate change in East Asia are explored with a focus on the linkages between adaptation and mitigation taking account uncertainty about key climate variables. Finally, it discusses opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of some critical climate change policies such as regional carbon market.
Dryland Ecosystems
The People's Republic of China (PRC) suffers from some large-scale land degradation problems, posing a significant threat to the lives of local residents and to the future economic welfare of the nation. The dryland areas of the western PRC, which cover approximately 40% of the country's land area, contain some of the most severely degraded land in the world. With only about 7% of the world's farmland and 6% of the world's annual water runoff, the PRC must feed 22% of the world's population. With the assistance of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Asian Development Bank, the PRC government established the PRC-GEF Partnership on Land Degradation in Dryland Ecosystems to address land degradation issues, reduce poverty, restore dryland ecosystems, and conserve biodiversity through an effective integrated ecosystem management (IEM) approach.