Bücher von Asian Development Bank

This report assesses how to finance an extensive overhaul of transport infrastructure in the BIMSTEC subregion, considers the challenges of public and private financing, and outlines how to create an overarching financial framework. Underscoring why strong transport connectivity is critical to regional integration, the report highlights how economic and financial analyses can help fund key economic corridors and transport projects in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. It analyzes a plan for over 200 projects and sets out ways to boost public-private partnerships, develop capital markets, and establish a regional fund to help close the financing gap.

This road map shows how Bangladesh can swap diesel irrigation pumps for solar powered systems to reduce fuel imports, increase farmers' incomes, and support the country's clean energy transition.

To bolster economic and financial analyses through national account statistics, this publication presents a model developed by ADB to provide a more consistent measure of non-recoverable VAT on products.Highlighting application results in Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, the publication explains how the model can be used in balancing and reconciling supply and use tables as well as to assess VAT gaps. It shows that the model is relatively simple to apply and its consistency with the supply and use system makes it an attractive tool for policymakers.

This publication introduces the Global Integration Index as a tool to explore how global and regional integration affect development outcomes.The 43 indicators in the index include digital connectivity and environmental cooperation and build on the Asian Development Bank's framework to measure progress in regional cooperation and integration. The index confirms deeper global economic linkages in Asia and the Pacific and enables comparison with other regions and across dimensions. The publication considers how policymakers can combine global and regional integration efforts with domestic policies for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Examining how the livelihoods, health, and well-being of women in Central and West Asia were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, this report assesses responses and considers how the experience can guide gender mainstreaming. Emphasizing the need for better granular data, the report looks at intersecting vulnerabilities and at how policies that prioritize women's economic security and strengthen social protection can better insulate them against future shocks.

ADB's South Asia Department conducted a study to assess the status and responses to the needs of disadvantaged groups in its member countries and identify entry points for greater gender equality and social inclusion impacts in its operations.This publication presents the results, providing an analysis of nine dimensions of exclusion and vulnerability- gender inequality; old age, disability, social identity, diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics; geographic location; income poverty; young age; and migrant status-and how these dimensions overlap in the lives of people with intersecting disadvantaged identities. Drawing from the good practices of governments, civil society organizations, and ADB-financed projects in South Asia, the publication provides SARD a 10-point guide for designing and operationalizing programs for gender equality and social inclusion.

This guidance note provides an overview of methods for evaluating the gender equality and social inclusion impacts of ADB programs and projects in South Asia.This guidance note aims to impart knowledge of vital points to consider when preparing impact evaluations. It outlines key steps for ADB staff, consultants, and project executing and implementing agencies involved in conducting impact evaluations. Additionally, the note explores modalities to assess the effectiveness of project interventions and gathers perspectives from project beneficiaries.

This guidance note aims to enhance the quality of poverty and social analysis for the design of country partnership strategies and programs in South Asia.The guidance note outlines approaches for conducting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis at the country, sector, and project levels to determine the GESI elements within ADB's country partnership strategies and projects in South Asia. It emphasizes the need to enhance the analysis of intersectional dimensions of exclusion and vulnerability experienced by individuals with intersecting disadvantaged identities.

Analyzing why only one-in-five of Viet Nam's small businesses are women-owned, this publication outlines the major legal, financial, and societal hurdles they face and explores ways to raise awareness and better support women entrepreneurs in the fast-growing economy. The publication explains the challenges women business owners face in getting access to the credit they need and assesses ways to better direct finance and training. It shows how creating an enabling environment, developing gender disaggregated databases, and targeting support to women-owned businesses can promote gender equality, cut poverty, and drive inclusive growth.

Quality and sustainable infrastructure investments are needed to rebuild smartly and create a more resilient, inclusive, and equitable world. Digital transformation has become an urgent need for governments.This publication presents the SOURCE platform, a digital transformation tool that is financed and led by multilateral development banks. SOURCE is a key tool for governments to prepare well-developed projects in alignment with international standards such as the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment. SOURCE can be integral to capacity building for best practices in project management, for building infrastructure databases for measuring achievements, and for raising bankability and attracting private sector financing of projects contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

This note is intended to guide the Asian Development Bank, executing and implementing agencies, consultants, and contractors in setting up, adapting, and managing grievance redness mechanisms assigned to receive reports on sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment in ADB-financed projects with civil works. The proposed reporting mechanisms and case handling processes in this publication are based on good practices by international development agencies and multilateral development banks. This good practice note may be used independently but is better understood when read together with the Good Practice Note on Addressing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment in ADB- Financed Projects with Civil Works.

Underlining why gender equality is a core component of sustainable infrastructure design, this report considers four key ADB investment sectors in Asia and the Pacific and sets out ways to evaluate gender-enhanced project outcomes. The report outlines theories of change and indicators designed to enable gender-inclusive infrastructure investment in urban development, transport, energy, and water, sanitation, and hygiene. Designed to serve as a point of reference, it shows how better including the needs of women, increasing their role in decision-making, and raising stakeholder understanding can help deliver projects that work for everyone.

This technical report assesses the string of events that triggered Nepal's Melamchi River floods in 2021 and highlights threats to the catchment area that provides vital drinking water to Kathmandu's fast-growing population. The report explains how floods damaged key water supply infrastructure and analyses risks posed by earthquakes, glacial lakes, and landslides, as climate change complicates conditions in the fragile Himalayas. It shows why a comprehensive catchment strategy centered on disaster risk reduction and early warning systems, plus measures to stabilize the river and control erosion, can help protect Melamchi's critical infrastructure from future events and boost the capital's water security.

This publication examines an alternative way to provide education more efficiently and effectively through public-private partnerships by looking into the secondary education policy of the Republic of Korea and Japan. Focusing on the financial support for private schools and on the accountability system, it explores the contribution of public-private partnerships in universal secondary education in these two countries. Despite initial challenges, these countries succeeded in expanding educational opportunities by involving private sector under well-organized accountability system. Drawing from these case studies, the publication provides recommendations that aim to help developing member countries expand educational opportunities and improve the quality of education as appropriate for each country.

Indonesia's micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are crucial drivers of economic growth, and this joint publication with Gojek looks at the potential of digital sales to strengthen their resilience. It shares findings from a study of MSME merchants using Gojek's GoFood platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. It notes that Gojek played an important role in the continued operation of MSMEs that otherwise would have been cut off from customers. The publication explores the pandemic's impacts on merchants, including the particular burdens faced by women. It suggests ways of enhancing merchants' experience with online platforms and developing mutual benefits.

This report assesses how Indonesia is implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the subnational government (SNG) level, identifies gaps and good practices, and outlines ways to speed up progress.The report assesses the funding mechanisms and robust legal frameworks governing Indonesia's SNGs and tracks a consistent pattern of progress across its provinces towards most of the SDGs. It shows why Indonesia needs to find ways to accelerate progress in disadvantaged regions such as Papua, ramp up institutional capabilities, and drive partnerships with the private sector to ensure its SNGs reach the SDG targets.

This publication assesses the Kyrgyz Republic's rising exposure to landslides and looks at how ADB is providing a $35 million finance package to develop a risk reduction program designed to boost preparedness and cut their impact. Explaining why factors including rainfall patterns and high seismic activity make the country prone to landslides, it shows that over 30,000 people are at immediate risk from the events with women and marginalized groups most vulnerable. The publication shows that mainstreaming increased landslide risk management, including institutional and community monitoring capacity, into national development policies and investments can better protect rural communities.

This publication shares lessons from performance-based road maintenance contracts implemented in Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, the People's Republic of China, and Tajikistan. It outlines the contract scope, performance standards, inspections, response and reaction times, payments and deductions, and procurement and contract costs. The publication highlights learning from the different experiences and provides recommendations for future performance-based road maintenance contracts in these and other countries.

This publication explores marine renewable energy sources from floating solar farms to deep ocean turbines and shows how increasing the capacity of the blue economy can help the Asia and Pacific region transition to a clean energy, low carbon future.Providing an overview of ADB's Marine Aquaculture, Reefs, Renewable Energy, and Ecotourism for Ecosystem Services project, it examines stressors impacting the region's oceans and examines the benefits of multifunctional approaches. It considers emerging ocean entrepreneurship and shows how adopting a holistic blue economy vision can produce a regenerative marine environment, support coastal communities, and help meet climate goals.

Highlighting the importance of Asia's small and medium enterprises, this report shows how economies can learn from policies employed by the Republic of Korea and the United States to offer SMEs the credit they need to thrive.With SMEs making up some 96% of all Asian businesses, the report explains the challenges they commonly face and analyzes the impact of specialized financing facilities in the ROK and the US. It offers a study of public institutional approaches towards improving credit access, assesses international lending regulations, and explores how developing public lending schemes for SMEs can support growth.

This report acts as a road map for the phased implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards in Uzbekistan as part of reform initiatives to bolster transparency, better understand its finances, and improve decision-making.Outlining why implementing IPSAS will take over a decade, it assesses current public financial management and how to close accounting standard gaps. It underscores the need for dedicated project management and sets out potential reform program risks. It details the four-step implementation process and explains why IT systems should be integrated to introduce IPSAS and produce a 360-degree view of the government's financial status and performance.

This publication examines pollution control technologies and looks at their suitability for use in small-scale agriculture. Agriculture generates pollution that is diverse and complex. This publication explores how small-scale operations with limited resources can control pollution and manage health and safety issues. It compares major pollution control technologies, especially their cost-effectiveness in tackling air and water pollution and the solid and hazardous waste typical in agro-sectors. It provides analysis and recommendations on their suitability for small-scale operations, and offers insights into how environmental standards and pollution load control support environmental quality improvement.

Detailing how Australia's Therapeutics Goods Administration conducted horizon scanning for new vaccines during the pandemic to assist ADB, this report is designed to help countries in Asia and the Pacific prepare for future outbreaks.It provides details of 16 vaccine manufacturers with novel and established vaccine technologies adapted to new pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Offering information on their vaccine pipeline and partnerships, the report shows their approach to working with ADB's developing member countries and can be used to inform decisions related to vaccine manufacturing and procurement.

This report analyzes how to detangle and simplify the complex product-specific rules of origin (PSRO) in free trade agreements in Asia and the Pacific and explores how technology can cut red tape and reduce inefficiencies impacting trade.It compares the leniency and stringency of PSROs under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in terms of manufacturing requirements with those contained in ASEAN+1 free trade agreements. Assessing how companies could benefit from an actionable document showing convergence and leniency, it examines how RCEP can boost intra-regional trade with more with business friendly PSROs and operational certification procedures.

This report analyzes ways to match youth in Asia and the Pacific with quality jobs and shows why approaches that consider nonlinear transitions into and within the labor market can help underpin productivity and social progress.Noting some four out of five young people in the region work informally, it reviews job matching models including commercial and government online platforms, digital bootcamps, and corporate-funded programs. It explains how governments can play an instrumental role, assesses how the private sector reaches untapped markets, and why blended job matching strategies can improve transitions and drive inclusive youth employment.

This report analyzes the online learning experiences of higher education students in six Asian countries during the pandemic to illustrate how to provide technical and learning support, narrow the digital divide, and direct future policy.Drawing on surveys from Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam, its touches on areas including internet availability, student satisfaction, and levels of student-teacher interaction. Providing country breakdowns, the report considers funding for online education, underscores the challenges for low-income students, and sets out how to fill the skills and training gap to offer equal access to better education.

This edition analyzes how financial conditions weakened and bond yields rose in most emerging East Asian markets between 1 September and 10 November amid expectations that the United States Federal Reserve would keep interest rates elevated for an extended period.The report covers the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; the People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; and the Republic of Korea. It explains how overall risks to regional financial conditions remain balanced, with downside risks emanating from high interest rates potentially offset by expected moderation in inflation in 2024. The report also discusses recent developments in local currency bond markets and includes summaries for each of the region's individual markets.

This report outlines how the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program could set up a disaster risk transfer facility to help members strengthen risk management.The CAREC region is highly exposed to natural hazards, particularly earthquakes and floods, and the adverse economic impacts of climate change. A regional disaster risk transfer facility could help CAREC countries diversify risk, reduce costs, increase access to international insurance and capital markets, and coordinate risk analysis and modeling. This report draws on lessons from other regions to explore opportunities and options for developing a CAREC Risk Facility. It suggests next steps in establishing a facility and considers the role of stakeholders including the Asian Development Bank.

Analyzing rural wastewater management in the People's Republic of China, this publication considers current financing, policy, and institutional frameworks, and proposes ways forward.It outlines the health, social and economic impacts of inadequate wastewater management in rural areas, considers cost recovery methods, and assesses the challenges of pulling in private sector investment. Drawing on case studies and international best practices, it suggests ways of strengthening rural wastewater services.

Continued growth is expected in the Pacific, but governments need to generate additional resources for public infrastructure and services essential to sustaining economic development.This edition of the Pacific Economic Monitor presents the region's experiences in domestic resource mobilization (DRM), the process wherein governments generate their own resources to fund their operations. Policy briefs examine the case for improving DRM, explore digital transformation in tax administration, and discuss tourism, an important sector in many Pacific economies that may have a role to play in contributing to DRM.