Asia
Policy Journal
Statistical
Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific
Several years
Rich in information content, the
Yearbook includes data, charts and a textual overview of well over 200
indicators, covering all spheres of the work of the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific, as well as such cross-cutting
issues as poverty and gender.
The baseline year for the data is 1990 – intentionally the same as that
for the Millennium Development Goals, so the Yearbook can also be used
for tracking progress towards the Goals. The Yearbook uses the
internationally comparable data available at the time of publication.
For more recent estimates and forecasts, readers can also consult
another ESCAP publication, the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and
the Pacific. The publication can be downloaded, as a whole or in parts,
from the ESCAP website at: www.unescap.org/stat/data/syb2009/.
Bookmark the site for your future reference, not least because it has a
link to the Yearbook database, which includes full-length time series,
including those that were used to derive numerous indicators.
Advancing
Statistics for Development
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From the
Asian Development bank
Asia Development Outlook 2006
This 18th edition of the Asian Development Outlook provides a
comprehensive economic analysis of 43 economies in developing Asia and
the Pacific. Using the Asian Development Bank's unique knowledge of the
region, it examines trends and prospects in Central Asia, East Asia,
South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, in the context of global
economic movements. An important theme is how developing Asia can best
position itself to maximize the benefits of international trade.
Aggregate gross domestic product for the region expanded by a robust
7.4% in 2005. Growth was underpinned by a favorable external
environment and by continuing progress on domestic reform issues. The
People's Republic of China and India both grew rapidly.
The
Asian Development Outlook, popularly known as the ADO, is a series of annual economic
reports on the developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian
Development Bank. The ADO provides a comprehensive analysis of
macroeconomic and development issues for the DMCs of ADB.
The ADO
features:
- an assessment of economic trends and prospects for
the world and for the developing economies of Asia and the Pacific
- economic profiles, economic management issues,
development policy concerns, and economic projections, for the DMCs of
ADB
- theme chapter covering important issues confronting
the region
Available issues: Update here
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From The World Bank - September 2006
Africa's Silk Road:
China and India's New Economic Frontier
China
and India Breaking New Economic Ground in Africa; South-South Trade and
Investment Create Imbalance, Opportunities
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United Nations University
WIDER Conference on
Spatial Inequality in Asia
UNU Tokyo, 28-29 March 2003
Themes
addressed by the conference:
- Spatial
inequality in China
- Inequality and conflict
- Poverty and inequality in India
- Poverty in Asia
- Location and Migration
- Trade and inequality
- Spatial inequality in Asia
- Spatial inequalities in Former Soviet Union
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From the Asian Development Bank
Asian
Development Bank topics:
ADB
focuses on various development issues to carry out its mission of
reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region. Its projects,
programs, policies,
and strategies prioritize these areas, which aim to improve the
lives of the 903 million people in the region who struggle to survive
on less than US$1.25 a day.
Overviews of key development issues.
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| Some
case studies on the social effects of privatization: |
BAHRAIN
Scarce
transparency in services policies.
It is expected that Bahrain, with increasing poverty and unemployment,
will soon be the first Gulf Cooperation Council state to legislate
privatisation. After beginning in a few sectors, such as transportation
and sanitation, privatisation is expected to gain momentum and be
extended to the ports and electricity production. |
BANGLADESH
Corruption
and mismanagement threaten jute mills.
The jute sector was dominant in the economy in terms of manufacturing
sector output, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. It
contributed 87% of total merchandise export earnings at the time of the
country’s independence. The change of government in 1975 paved the way
for a change in the nationalisation policy and a process of
privatisation was initiated. This report discusses the impact of the
nationalisation and later privatisation of the jute mills on the
national economy and on the jute workers. ATIUR RAHMAN ISMAIL HOSSAIN |
CAMBODIA
The
long road to poverty eradication.
Despite official policy pronouncements and some genuine efforts to
reform the health and education sectors, structural obstacles, most
particularly low budgetary allocations and disbursement systems that
are slow and not always transparent, block progress and have a
debilitating effect on the quality and delivery of services. The deep
structural macro-economic problems worsen year after year and paralyse
the whole public health sector. Access to key natural resources are
auctioned off to be commercialised, leading to further impoverishment
of the population. THIDA C. KHUS |
INDIA
Erosion
of rights and marketisation of development. The national development paradigm is a paradox. On the one
hand, there is a professed commitment to meeting the Millennium
Development Goals by respecting, protecting and fulfilling economic,
social and cultural rights. On the other hand, there is clear policy
prioritisation towards privatisation of services that affect the basic
rights of the most marginalised, such as education, health, water and
food distribution. In contrast with the «the language of rights»,
policy prescriptions push basic services away from the responsibilities
and obligations of the State. JOHN SAMUEL BOBBY KUNHU |
JORDAN
The
money into the pockets of foreign companies. The political instability in the region, along with
Jordan’s maturing economy, has prevented the domestic private sector
from playing an integral role in privatisation and has opened the way
for foreign investors to take over many previously public enterprises.
As a result, profits made from privatised companies do not contribute
to the Jordanian treasury, as structural adjustment continues to
challenge welfare policies. Reduced public spending combined with low
growth will increase poverty, which is already aggravated by high
population growth. NATASHA SHAWARIB |
KAZAKHSTAN
To
the detriment of women, children and the poor. The policy of structural adjustments has led to a sharp
reduction of social expenditures and the collapse of the social
services sector. Privatisation of social sector entities has failed.
Firms offered for sale were not in good condition or in great demand,
so investors did not bid on them. In addition, privatisation of health
and education has reduced accessibility, and had a negative impact on
the poor and on women and children in particular. SVETLANA SHAKIROVA
MARA SEITOVA |
KOREA
Privatisation,
conflict and discontent.
Privatisation in Korea has aroused intense debate and inspired many
citizen mobilisations. While voices from the government insist that
privatisation will strengthen industrial competitiveness and resolve
the ill-effects of monopolies, labour unions, civil society and
academia cry out that it will drain national wealth through sales
abroad, degrade public services and deepen social inequality. Since
there is no precedent of a successful privatisation and restructuring
process being carried out without social consensus, the government
should try to take the advice of civic groups rather than follow its
present course. PROF. KIM JIN SOO |
LEBANON
Confronting
the fiscal crisis through privatisation. The main reason for privatisation is fiscal. Government
officials argue that it is the only way out of the debt trap. However,
private firms only invest where they expect to make a profit. The
private sector, by its nature, prioritises short-term profit over any
other social benefit. All in all, the «public good» value of basic
services is considered less important than their fiscal potential.
ZEINA ABLA |
MALAYSIA
The
high cost of private monopolies.
Privatisation policies have been limited to a small elite who took over
profitable public utilities and turned them into private monopolies. On
several occasions, the objective of reduced fiscal burden backfired, as
the government had to pay higher costs to bail out failed
privatisations. For consumers, price increases have not brought about
benefits. There is a serious need to review the entire privatisation
policies to make the process more accountable and transparent.
MAGESWARI SANGARALINGAM MEENAKSHI RAMAN |
NEPAL
Rockbottom
economic status. Economic
liberalisation began in 1992. The foreign investment policy endevoured
to attract foreign private investment but undermined the national
interest. Nepalese entrepreneurs with limited resources and technical
capacity were unable to compete with foreign private investors and
hence were negatively affected. Privatisation of education and health
has created two distinct classes and has benefited the higher income
groups, in a country where approximately 42% of the population live
below the poverty line. SARBA RAJ KHADKA RAKHEE LOHANI |
PAKISTAN
Extreme
poverty, forced labour, «honour killings»… This report presents an overview of the dramatic Pakistani
situation. Its 140 million people are among the world’s poorest. High
population growth and low social spending have deteriorated healthcare,
education, sanitation and drinking water. Non-Muslim minorities
experience routine discrimination. Child and forced labour and violence
against women, subject to the rule of «honour killings», are part of a
general climate of restricted public freedoms. PROF. AIJAZ A. QURESHI
MUSHTAQ MIRANI NASARULLAH THAHEEM SHAHEEN KHAN |
PALESTINE
Relying
on others: provision of water and health care. Palestinian dependence on Israel for water and on the
international community for healthcare services underscores the
crippled state of Palestinian welfare and its subjugation to Israeli
military decisions. This is not the result of shortcomings of the
traditional development approaches (in particular the differing
incentive and sanction structures behind state and market approaches to
basic service provision1 ) but of Israeli military and government
policy towards the West Bank and Gaza. IZZAT ABDUL-HADI THOMAS WHITE |
PHILIPPINES
The
water case: increased rates for poorer services. In August 1997, the government-run facility that provided
safe drinking water to 11 million Metro Manila residents, the
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Services (MWSS), was privatised.
The MWSS story belies the claim that privatisation automatically
provides additional funds to government or improves the efficiency and
effectiveness of the management of companies. What it bolsters,
however, is the concern that cost-recovery and profit-making are the
primary goals of privatisation—even at huge economic and social costs
to consumers and citizens. MA. VICTORIA R. RAQUIZA |
THAILAND
The
dark side of global markets. The
1997 economic crisis led to the privatisation of lucrative state
enterprises as an IMF requirement to reduce the debt, which was largely
incurred by the private sector. However, the multinational corporations
have not benefited Thailand, but they have returned profits to their
own countries. At present, it is vital to define, prioritise and
achieve an equilibrium between democratic development and market
mechanisms. In this process, civil society should play an active role
in maintaining basic human values. RANEE HASSARUNGSEE |
VIET NAM
The
Doi Moi policy and its impact on the poor. In December 1986, the government mandated the Doi Moi (open
door) policy, shifting from a centrally planned economy to a market
oriented one. The current trend shows growing inequality between the
rural and urban population, and between the rich and the poor.
Privatisation and liberalisation increased the social gap in the access
to basic social services in general and to education and health in
particular, and increased the vulnerability of the rural poor. TRAN THI
QUE TO XUAN PHUC |
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| Asia in
crisis..................................... |
| WORLD BANK PREDICTS LOWEST GROWTH RATES FOR
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES SINCE EIGHTIES' DEBT CRISIS—OUTLOOK TO IMPROVE BY
2000 |
| World Bank report says record year for private
capital flows is hurt by East Asian downturn, development aid to poor
countries keeps falling (1998) |
| Social Crisis in
Asia (World Bank) |
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| W.
Bello: Speculation, Foreign Capital Dependence and
the Collapse of the Southeast Asian Economies |
P.
Krugman:
What happened in Asia?
Analytical
Afterthoughts on the Asian Crisis
Balance
sheets, the transfer problem, and financial crises
The
energy crisis revisited
The Official
Paul Krugman Web Page |
| The social impact of the
Asian financial crisis (ILO) |
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Papers
on the Asian Crisis (C.U.M.)
- Francisco
García-Blanch, "An Empirical
Inquiry into South Korean Economic Growth",Working Paper No. 74,
Center for International Development, Harvard University, Cambridge,
MA, 2001 (PDF, 211K)
- Pablo Bustelo, "Novelties of
Financial Crises in the 1990s and the Search for New Indicators", Emerging
Markets Review (Elsevier), Vol. 1, Num. 3, 2000, pp. 229-51,
Pre-print draft, August 2000, 32 pages (PDF, 117K)
- Pablo Bustelo,
Clara García and Iliana Olivié, "Global and Domestic
Factors of Financial Crises in Emerging Economies: Lessons from the
East Asian Episodes (1997-1999)", ICEI Working Papers, No.
16, Complutense University of Madrid, November 1999, 106 pages
(PDF, 403K)
- Pablo Bustelo and Iliana Olivié, "Economic
Globalisation and Financial Crises: Some Lessons from East Asia", The
Indian Journal of Quantitative Economics
(Punjab School of Economics, Amritsar), Vol. 14, Num. 1, 1999, pp.
29-49, Pre-print draft, August 1999 (PDF, 43K)
- Pablo Bustelo, "The Impact
of the Financial Crises on East Asian Regionalism", Sino-European
Bangkok Seminar, IIR-MARC, May 1999, 3rd pre-print draft,
August 2000, in F.-K. Liu and P. Régnier (eds.), Regionalism in
East Asia: Paradigm Shifting?, Routledge-Curzon, London, 2003, pp.
141-152 (PDF, 49K)
- Pablo Bustelo, "The East Asian
Financial Crises: An Analytical Survey", ICEI Working Papers,
No. 10, Complutense University of Madrid, October 1998, 38
pages (PDF, 106K)
- Clara García and Iliana Olivié, "The Financial
Crises in Southeast Asia", ICEI Working Papers, No. 11
(part IV), Complutense University of Madrid, October 1998, 22
pages (PDF, 76K)
- Francisco García-Blanch, "The Financial
Crises in East Asia: The Case of South Korea", ICEI Working Papers,
No. 11 (part III), Complutense University of Madrid, October 1998,
18 pages (PDF, 43K).
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| Asia's Economic
Crisis (Asia Society) |
What
Caused Asia's Economic Crisis?.............New York University
1.Basic Readings and References
on the Causes of the Crisis
2.Global Effects, Regional and
Systemic Contagion Analysis
3.Country Analysis (Thailand,
Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia,Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, China,
Japan)
4.The Debate on the Role of the
IMF in the Crisis
5.Will the Crisis Spread to Other
Regions of the World?
6.The Role of Financial Fragility
and Systemic Risk
7.Other Episodes of Fixed
Exchange Rate Collapse in the 1990s
8.The Debate on Fixed versus
Flexible Exchange Rate
9.Sources of Official Data and
Reports 10.News Sources |
The Asian Crisis: A View from the IMF
How
Has the Asian Crisis Affected Other Regions?
IMF Area Department Directors
Mitigating
the Social Costs of the Asian Crisis
IMF Staff
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| The Asian Crisis: IMF Bail Outs: Truth and Fiction |
| Stanley
Fischer: The Asian Crisis and the Changing Role of
the IMF |
| Dai
Xiaohua: 'East Asian Model': A few problems, but
it works |
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From The World Bank - 18 Sept. 2006
An East Asian Renaissance:
Ideas for Economic Growth
Advance Conference
Edition
East Asia – a region that has transformed itself since the financial
crisis of the 90s by creating more competitive and innovative economies
– must now turn to the urgent domestic challenges of inequality,
social cohesion, corruption and environmental degradation arising
from its success.
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Asia Times
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National
Bureau of Asian Research
Analysis
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China’s
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Annual Conference Volume
The new book The "People" in the PLA: Recruitment, Training, and
Education in China’s Military, edited by Roy Kamphausen, Andrew
Scobell, and Travis Tanner, was officially released by NBR and the
Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College at a book
launch event co-hosted by and held at the Brookings Institution on
September 17. The event featured presentations by PLA experts from
government and academia. Read a transcript
from the event, learn more about the the conference,
and download the book.
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NBR Holds Groundbreaking
Ceremony in Seattle's University District
NBR hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on August 4 at Eagleson Hall at
the University of Washington to celebrate the construction of a
building where NBR will be permanently housed. The new structure, to be
named George F. Russell, Jr. Hall in honor of NBR’s longtime chairman,
will be located at 4201 15th Avenue NE, in close proximity to the
Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs and the Henry M. Jackson
School of International Studies and directly across the street from the
University of Washington’s William H. Gates Hall. View Press Release.
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Understanding
China’s New Sovereign Wealth Fund
This issue of the NBR Analysis provides an analysis of the political
and economic debates that led to the formation of CIC, outlines what is
known about the corporation’s investment objectives and management
structure, and details the domestic and foreign investments that CIC
has undertaken to date. It also examines some of the specific concerns
that have been raised about the potential risks posed by CIC to U.S.
national interests and draws some preliminary conclusions about their
validity. Order
or download this issue.
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Russian
Energy Policy and Strategy
Growing global energy demand and rising energy prices provide essential
context for Russia’s reemergence, simultaneously raising anxiety levels
among the major consumer countries and raising confidence levels among
the major producer countries. These tendencies have been especially
apparent in Asia. Yet, as has been the case in many other periods of
rapid change, neither the anxieties nor the confidence will likely
prove fully justified. Such is the unambiguous message of the two
important articles in this issue of the NBR Analysis. Order or download
this issue.
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Asia Policy 6
This latest issue of NBR’s journal Asia Policy features a policy
Q&A with a panel of specialists on Islamic finance and a book
review roundtable on David C. Kang's China Rising. Articles in this
issue address generational change and political leadership in Japan and
China, sea lane security in Southeast Asia, and China's management of
the risks resulting from the country's rapid industrial development. Order or
download Asia Policy 6.
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Engaging
Asia: U.S. Strategic Interests, Priorities, and Policy Tools
On May 22, 2008, NBR hosted senior policy leaders and experts in
Washington, D.C., for the conference “Engaging Asia: U.S. Strategic
Interests, Priorities, and Policy Tools.” Discussion focused on the
ways that the U.S. might enhance its strategic engagement with this
increasingly vital region of the world. Ambassador Christopher R. Hill,
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department
of State, delivered closing remarks on challenges and opportunities for
U.S.-Asia relations. Learn
more about the conference.
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The John M.
Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies
On September 26, 2007, NBR announced the appointment of Admiral Dennis
C. Blair to the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security
Studies. Admiral Blair will advance the study of national security
issues and address critical U.S. interests in Asia through research
projects, publications, conferences, and briefings to senior
policymakers and business leaders. For more information on Admiral
Blair and the John M. Shalikashvili Chair, click
here.
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Pyle
Center for Northeast Asian Studies
On November 17, 2006, NBR dedicated the Kenneth B. and Anne H.H. Pyle
Center for Northeast Asian Studies. The Center's inauguration featured
a two-day international conference and a formal evening gala. The newly
launched Pyle Center will conduct research on Northeast Asia to advance
the comprehensive study of the region, particularly as it pertains to
its security, political, and economic dynamics. Click on the link to
view Professor
Pyle’s keynote address.
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Clasification of economies by
income,1997-1998-World Bank
N. Islam: Growth, Poverty and Human Development
in Pakistan, 1996
A. K. Shiva Kumar: Poverty and Human Development in
India, 1996
Asian Studies
WWW Virtual Library (A.N.U.)
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Institute
of Economic Research
Hitotsubashi University, Japan
Asian Historical Statistics Project
| 2006.8.30 |
Ryo
Kambayashi, Daiji Kawaguchi and Izumi Yokoyama Wage
Distribution in Japan: 1989-2003. |
| 2006.8.22 |
Satoshi
Shimizutani and Izumi Yokoyama Has
Japan's Long-term employment Practice Survived? New Evidence Emerging
Since the 1990s. |
| 2006.8.16 |
Dale
W. Jorgenson and Khuong Vu Information
Technology and The World Growth Resurgence. |
| 2006.8.7 |
Ryo
Kambayashi and Yuko Ueno Vacancy
Size and Offered Wage: A Source of Search Friction in The Japanese
Labor Market, Kyoji Fukao, Young Gak Kim and Hyeog Ug Kwon Plant
Turnover and TFP Dynamics in Japanese Manufacturing. |
| 2006.8.1 |
Hiroaki
Chigira and Taku Yamamoto A
Bias-Corrected Estimation for Dynamic Panel Models in Small Samples,
In Choi and Timothy K. Chue Subsampling-Based
Tests of Stock-Return Predictability.. |
| 2006.7.31 |
Harry
X. Wu The
Chinese GDP Growth Rate Puzzle: How Fast Has the Chinese Economy Grown?
. |
| 2006.7.22 |
Robert
Inklaar, Marcel P. Timmer and Bart van Ark Mind
the gap! International comparisons of productivity in services and
goods production . |
| 2006.7.19 |
Tatiana
A. Chief Estimation
of Gross Social Product and Net Material Product in the USSR, Youri
N. Ivanov On
Compilation of Long Term Series of GDP for the Former USSR Republics,
Kyoji Fukao, Keikok Ito, Hyeg Ug Kwon and Miho Takizawa Cross-Border
Acquisitons and Target Firms' Performance: Evidence from Japanese
Firm-Level Data. |
| 2006.7.10 |
Workshop
information was modified. |
| 2006.7.03 |
Hak
K. Pyo, Geun-Hee Rhee and Bongchan Ha Growth
Accounting and Productivity Analysis by 33 Industrial Sectors in Korea
(1984-2002) .
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Vietnamese
Economic Network
Southeast Asian Serials Index
United Nations Mission in East Timor
In defence of Marxism: Asia
ACCESSASIA
Review E-Journal
Asian Development Bank
National Bureau of Asian Research
Singapore WWW Virtual Library
East Asian Studies Internet Resources
Mass
Media on the Net..........I.O.L. Stockolm University
E.U. cooperation with Asia and Latin America......EUFORIC
Asian
Educational Media Service
The Economic History of Eastern Asia
Taiwan
Security Research
India
Books
ASEAN InfoSite
ASEANWEB
Asian Institute of Technology
Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific /U. N.
Asian
Human Rights Commission
The Cambodian
Genocide Program
Reporting
Indonesia and Asia(U.S. embassy/Jakarta)
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
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Asia- Pacific News................BBC World Service
-
Asiaweek
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Far
Eastern Economic Review
Read the REVIEW essays that won at the 2006
Society of Publishers in Asia awards:
"Finding China's Missing Farmers" by William
MacNamara
November 2005
Winner of Excellence in Feature Writing
"Police Brutality in Papua New Guinea" by Zama
Coursen-Neff
September 2005
Runner-up for Excellence in Human Rights Reporting
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APEC. Research Information Network. U. of B. C.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat
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Asia
The Pacific
Middle East
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Asia
Asia in crisis
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation- APEC
The World Bank: regions
One World News Service: Asia
Asian Development Outlook 2002
Countries A-H
Countries I-P
Countries Q-Z
A to Z
CIA World Factbook
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