Asian Development Bank Institute Research Articles

Future Potential of Trans-Caspian Corridor: Review

Background: The Middle Corridor, a transport route from Asia to Europe that also facilitates major energy projects through the Caspian Sea and its surrounding countries, has gained even more attention after the intensification of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022. Methods: On the basis of major scientific papers on the topic, foreign policy addresses from The Diplomat and studies by the United Nations and Asian Development Bank Institute, a framework with five aspects was created. In addition, two interviews with sector stakeholders were conducted to apply the framework and determine the relevance of the route to Finnish and Estonian economies. Results: A multifaceted overview of the current economic, political, and infrastructural state of the Trans-Caspian trade route is given. The practical value of the article lies in creating a framework for evaluating the route for related economies and testing this out for the Finnish and Estonian economies. Conclusions: Despite the challenges, there are enormous opportunities in this logistics route, especially with the restrictions facing Russia due to western bloc sanctions. Finland and Estonia, however, are suffering under the effects of war in Ukraine and the related sanctions, which has hindered the capacity to further enhance development projects.

Global Discord: Values and Power in a Fractured World Order by PaulTucker, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2022, xiii + 533 pp.

The Developing EconomiesEarly View Book Review Global Discord: Values and Power in a Fractured World Order by Paul Tucker, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2022, xiii + 533 pp. Peter J. Morgan, Peter J. Morgan Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, JapanSearch for more papers by this author Peter J. Morgan, Peter J. Morgan Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, JapanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 11 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/deve.12355Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Realising rural economic transformation: Pathways to inclusive and sustainable prosperity in post-COVID-19 Asia

The world is adjusting to regain control over direct economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This adjustment is occurring whilst global collective action is also gearing up to tackle climate change, avert biodiversity collapse and redress unsustainable growth practices that featured in pre-Covid era global economic activity for decades. COVID-19 pandemic experience since December 2019 has been a period of pronounced anxiety and inspiration. Despite the angst of widespread calamity, and the loss of over six million lives, a coordinated global effort helped contain the impacts well short of initial predictions. Progress toward eliminating poverty, the central goal in rural economic transformation, has been set back by decades. The strength in organising — through social and business processes — marked the resilience endured. The recovery is patchy and uneven across individual nations, and the medium-term prospects remain contingent on the efficacy of funding essential human services and clear market bottlenecks. Bridging capacity constraints across the rural–urban continuum also remain a need to ease the regulatory burden as the world tackles widespread externalities of the past to create new growth opportunities.In this special issue, emerging and established academics from the Asian region and beyond,11These papers were drawn from presentations made at a conference organised by the Asian Development Bank Institute on ‘Rural economic transformation: embracing opportunities in better living in Asia’ held during 15–17 November 2021. All contributors are from Asian Development Bank member nations. draw insights from research and analysis on the challenges facing policy makers, businesses, and households in raising living standards and inspiring the pursuit of individual and social affluence during these uncertain but opportune times.

CAPITAL FINANCING AND RE-VITALIZATION OF MICRO ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL OF PRADHAN MANTRI MUDRA YOJANA (PMMY)

Rejuvenation of small and micro business units is a quintessential requirement for meeting the macro-economic goals of employment generation, financial inclusiveness and importantly the recovery of economic growth after economic slowdown spurred out of the pandemic. As per the study report published by Asian Development Bank Institute (2016), 78% of the finance used by MSMEs is carried out through informal sources and self-finance. Identifying the high degree of dependence of micro entrepreneurs especially in the rural India on informal financing avenues, the central Government of India officially launched the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) in 2015 with a vision to strengthen the institutional finance framework for ensuring the sustainability of entrepreneurial activities. The present paper is an attempt to bring out the progress assessment of PMMY scheme over the past five years across India. The analysis of different loan categories of schemes is done in order to understand the specific implications on the needs of the micro enterprises. The region wise analysis of the scheme with respect to the loan disbursement reveals that Southern region perform better over the past five years. The paper also throws light on the impact of PMMY in bridging the gender divide in the MSME sector by focusing on the utilization trends among women entrepreneurs regarding the Shishu, Kishore, and Tarun sub schemes under PMMY.

Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and International Labour Organisation (ILO), Labour Migration in Asia: Impacts of the Covid-19 Crisis and the Post-Pandemic Future

Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and International Labour Organisation (ILO), <i>Labour Migration in Asia: Impacts of the Covid-19 Crisis and the Post-Pandemic Future</i>

Reimaging the Future of Work: Intergenerational Dialogues on Youth’s Aspirations and Dreams Beyond Covid-19

This article unpacks the experience of using an Appreciative Inquiry approach to gain an understanding of priorities and challenges related to youth economic empowerment in the ‘new normal’ impacted by coronavirus, and to establish a diverse network willing to work together to create change. Organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank through its youth initiative, Youth for Asia, the Asian Development Bank Institute and Plan International, young people aged 18–29 from across Asia and the Pacific took part in a six-week process during the Asia Pacific Youth Symposium in August and September 2020.

ASEAN Education Cooperation: An Assessment of Education Divide and Measuring the Potential Impact of Its Elimination

The articles in this Special Issue benefited from the conference organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Asian Development Bank and ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute held in September 2021 in Singapore (https://www.adb.org/news/events/improving-quality-basic-education-southeast-asia).There are multidimensional challenges in improving the quality of basic education and ensuring that all students acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. This has prompted various education-related reforms, programmes and non-governmental and non-profit organization-supported interventions. There are a few success stories but many more accounts of failure concerning educational reforms in the region. Amidst the situation described above, this special issue reflects the challenges and opportunities that Southeast Asian countries face in improving basic education quality. As a whole, this issue presents the latest empirical research on education in Southeast Asia. There are four country-specific papers -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam -- and two regional papers. The six papers examine different unique research methods.

Vietnam‘s Basic Education Quality in the Wake of Standardization Policy and National Curriculum Reform

The articles in this Special Issue benefited from the conference organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Asian Development Bank and ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute held in September 2021 in Singapore (https://www.adb.org/news/events/improving-quality-basic-education-southeast-asia).There are multidimensional challenges in improving the quality of basic education and ensuring that all students acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. This has prompted various education-related reforms, programmes and non-governmental and non-profit organization-supported interventions. There are a few success stories but many more accounts of failure concerning educational reforms in the region. Amidst the situation described above, this special issue reflects the challenges and opportunities that Southeast Asian countries face in improving basic education quality. As a whole, this issue presents the latest empirical research on education in Southeast Asia. There are four country-specific papers -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam -- and two regional papers. The six papers examine different unique research methods.

Mobile-Assisted Language Teaching: A Systematic Review with Implications for Southeast Asia

The articles in this Special Issue benefited from the conference organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Asian Development Bank and ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute held in September 2021 in Singapore (https://www.adb.org/news/events/improving-quality-basic-education-southeast-asia).There are multidimensional challenges in improving the quality of basic education and ensuring that all students acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. This has prompted various education-related reforms, programmes and non-governmental and non-profit organization-supported interventions. There are a few success stories but many more accounts of failure concerning educational reforms in the region. Amidst the situation described above, this special issue reflects the challenges and opportunities that Southeast Asian countries face in improving basic education quality. As a whole, this issue presents the latest empirical research on education in Southeast Asia. There are four country-specific papers -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam -- and two regional papers. The six papers examine different unique research methods.

Recent Developments in Basic Education in Thailand: Issues and Challenges

The articles in this Special Issue benefited from the conference organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Asian Development Bank and ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute held in September 2021 in Singapore (https://www.adb.org/news/events/improving-quality-basic-education-southeast-asia).There are multidimensional challenges in improving the quality of basic education and ensuring that all students acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. This has prompted various education-related reforms, programmes and non-governmental and non-profit organization-supported interventions. There are a few success stories but many more accounts of failure concerning educational reforms in the region. Amidst the situation described above, this special issue reflects the challenges and opportunities that Southeast Asian countries face in improving basic education quality. As a whole, this issue presents the latest empirical research on education in Southeast Asia. There are four country-specific papers -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam -- and two regional papers. The six papers examine different unique research methods.

The Impact of Sending Top College Graduates to Rural Primary Schools

The articles in this Special Issue benefited from the conference organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Asian Development Bank and ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute held in September 2021 in Singapore (https://www.adb.org/news/events/improving-quality-basic-education-southeast-asia).There are multidimensional challenges in improving the quality of basic education and ensuring that all students acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. This has prompted various education-related reforms, programmes and non-governmental and non-profit organization-supported interventions. There are a few success stories but many more accounts of failure concerning educational reforms in the region. Amidst the situation described above, this special issue reflects the challenges and opportunities that Southeast Asian countries face in improving basic education quality. As a whole, this issue presents the latest empirical research on education in Southeast Asia. There are four country-specific papers -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam -- and two regional papers. The six papers examine different unique research methods.

Quality of Basic Education in Southeast Asia: Introduction

The articles in this Special Issue benefited from the conference organized jointly by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Asian Development Bank and ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute held in September 2021 in Singapore (https://www.adb.org/news/events/improving-quality-basic-education-southeast-asia).There are multidimensional challenges in improving the quality of basic education and ensuring that all students acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. This has prompted various education-related reforms, programmes and non-governmental and non-profit organization-supported interventions. There are a few success stories but many more accounts of failure concerning educational reforms in the region. Amidst the situation described above, this special issue reflects the challenges and opportunities that Southeast Asian countries face in improving basic education quality. As a whole, this issue presents the latest empirical research on education in Southeast Asia. There are four country-specific papers -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam -- and two regional papers. The six papers examine different unique research methods.

Special issue: The poverty‐inequality‐environment frontier in the age of crises

This Special Issue is part of a joint initiative on “Financial Crises, Poverty, and Environmental Sustainability” by the Sussex Sustainability Research Project (SSRP) of the University of Sussex, the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Action for Sustainable Development Goals, and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). The aim of the project is to foster an evidence-based understanding of the multiple and complex ways in which poverty and environmental dynamics interact in moments of economic crises and how this interaction can be managed in a way that facilitates the transition to sustainability. The Special Issue includes the following papers: 1. The Great Stagnation and environmental sustainability: A multidimensional perspective Bernardo Cantone, Alexander S. Antonarakis, Andreas Antoniades (University of Sussex) 2. Confronting inequality in the ‘New Normal’: hyper-capitalism, proto-socialism and post-pandemic recovery Tim Jackson (University of Surrey), Peter A. Victor (York University, Toronto) 3. Transformative social policies as an essential buffer during socio-economic crises Isabell Kempf, Paramita Dutta (UNRISD) 4. Alleviating debt distress and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals Howard Haughton (King’s College London), Jodie Keane (Overseas Development Institute - ODI) 5. Bracing for the typhoon: Climate change and sovereign risk in Southeast Asia John Beirne, Nuobu Renzhi (Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo), Ulrich Volz (SOAS) 6. Climate shocks and poverty persistence: Investigating consequences and coping strategies in Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda Vidya Diwakar, Antoine Lacroix (Overseas Development Institute – ODI) 7. Class and climate change adaptation in rural India: Beyond community-based adaptation models Maryam Aslany (University of Oxford), Shannon Brincat (The University of the Sunshine Coast)

Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Ageing Societies: Policies and Prospective

Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), <i>Ageing Societies: Policies and Prospective</i>

Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and International Labour Organization (ILO), Innovative Approaches for the Management of Labor Migration in Asia.

Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and International Labour Organization (ILO), <i>Innovative Approaches for the Management of Labor Migration in Asia</i>.

Impact of Global Value Chain on the Performance of SMEs

ABSTRACT Background The development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Global Value Chain (GVC) participation have created an avenue for many researches. There are plenty of researches which have been conducted to identify the impact of SMEs to the economy and society of a country, identify the impact of Global Value Chain to the economy and society of a country, identify the factors affect to the development of SMEs, identify the factors affect to SMEs to actively participate in Global Value Chain and identify the Impact of Global Value Chain on the Performance of SMEs. Therefore, it is worth to identify the common factors which affect to the SMEs to actively participate in Global Value Chain and main impact of Global Value Chain on the Performance of SMEs by critically evaluating the researches done under this emerging concepts. Methods This study is conducted using extracted data from the previously conducted researches under the area of SME and GVC and published in book published by the Asian Development Bank Institute under the title of “ENHANCING SME PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS”. The data and results were critically evaluated to achieve the objectives.

Production Globalization Makes China’s Exports Cleaner

Summary Production globalization, which is when firms expand their supply chains across national boundaries, creates an opportunity for developing countries to engage in international production networks via trade. Described as the world's factory, China specializes in assembly manufacturing mainly through processing exports. Firms use imported intermediate inputs for production and, after processing or assembly, re-export the finished products to international markets. Here, we show that the carbon efficiency of China’s processing exports is greater than that of its ordinary exports. If the impact of trade heterogeneity is ignored, then the domestic emissions embodied in China’s exports will be overestimated by 23.4%, and the foreign emissions embodied in China’s exports will be underestimated by 29.3%. If the degree of global value chain participation, which ranges from 0 to 1, increases by 0.1, although foreign emissions embodied in China’s exports would increase, the gross carbon intensity of China’s exports will decrease by 11.7%.

Bibliography

Bibliography

Owners’ integrity, customers’ relation, and focused attitude as strategiies of family business sustainability and growth: an empirical study

Asian Development Bank Institute reported that the contribution of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to the Indonesian GDP is 57.8% and the contribution to total employment is 97.2%. MSMEs in Indonesia are almost owned by families. According to Family Firm Institute in 2016, 72% of all businesses in Indonesia’s private sector are run by family businesses, and while most of the MSMEs started out as family businesses, many successful entrepreneurs come from family business background. This empirical study is based on 3 family business cases that have been expanding in terms of its sales and operations throughout more than 10 years. The method used in this study is qualitative research by exploring the strategic management to sustain the family businesses through owners’ integrity, customers’ relations, and focused attitude in their vocations. As the family businesses are currently in transition of passing the torch to the next generation, their sustaining strategies have to be extended.

Aging in Asia: Introduction to Symposium

AbstractPopulation aging (an increase in the share of the elderly in total population) is occurring in many, if not most, countries in the world, including those in Asia. Both economists and policymakers warn that population aging can have many deleterious effects on a country's economy including a decline in its saving rate, the emergence of a labor shortage, a deterioration in government finances owing to increased spending on old‐age related programs, and reduced innovation and productivity growth. It is therefore imperative for countries to prepare themselves for the advent of an aged society. The emerging and developing countries in Asia are no exception, with the region generally lacking adequate systems in such areas as long‐term care, public pensions, and health insurance. Against this background, an international workshop on “Aging in Asia” was held in Kitakyushu City, Japan, on November 15 to 16, 2016. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the Asian Development Bank Institute and the Asian Growth Research Institute and was organized by Charles Yuji Horioka, Peter J. Morgan, Yoko Niimi, and Guanghua Wan. This special issue of the Review includes nine papers presented at this workshop plus one paper that was not presented there but was written by one of the workshop participants. All of these papers underwent the usual rigorous refereeing process of this Review.