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May, 2013

 

Source

 

 

 

 

Japan's Disaster Relief Diplomacy: Fostering Military Cooperation in Asia, May 2013. Hideshi Futori, recent Japan Studies Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center in Washington, explains that "First, the realm of HA/DR is a rare opportunity for Japan to actively engage in military cooperation with China."

 

EWC

Conflict Prevention Urgent for the Senkaku Conundrum, May 2013. Masako Ikegami, Professor of Political Science at Stockholm University, explains that "Future peace and prosperity in East Asia rests upon a peaceful and constructive resolution to the Senkaku conundrum by overcoming the negative legacy of war and imperialism in Asia."

 

EWC

Can a Growing Servces Sector Renew Asia's Economic Growth? April 2013. To continue Asia's economic growth the focus for expansion and improvement must move from export manufacturing to the services sector--primarily to cross-border trade in such modern services as finance, information and communication, and professional business services. As the Asian services-sector economies have historically been dominated by personal services rather than by more information-intensive services, serious concerns exist about their ability to rapidly and successfully grow these modern services...

 

EWC

The Middle-Income Trap: Issues for Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, May 2013. This paper attempts to study these issues by building an analytical framework based on the factors that determine each development stage of an economy, and by comparing the current situation of four ASEAN middle-income countries with the experience of the Republic of Korea, a country that managed to overcome the middle-income trap and reach the high-income level in the late 1990s.

 

ADB

How Low-Carbon Green Growth Can Reduce Inequalities, May 2013. Half of the world's population—3 billion people—lives below the poverty line, and Asia has the largest share. In pursuit of sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation, there is great potential among low-income households for green consumption, production, innovation, and entrepreneurial activity. This paper shows how an inclusive green growth model can uplift the poor through entrepreneurship and fiscal policy reforms.

 

ADB

Strengthening Health Security - APEC Symposium on Strategies to Control and Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance, May 2013. This report presents the findings at the APEC symposium on strategies to control and prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Asia Pacific region. The key objective of the APEC symposium was to discuss and explore future strategies to control and prevent AMR in the Asia Pacific region.

 

APEC

Expanding the Information Technology Agreement, May 2013. This policy brief will argue for an expanded Information Technology agreement (ITA) and show how APEC can play a leading role in that process...

 

APEC

Transport, Energy and Environmental Benefits of Intermodal Freight Strategies Final Report, April 2013. The present report is designed to demonstrate the fuel saving and emission reduction benefits of the increased use of intermodal freight transportation in urban settings and addresses the questions raised by the APEC Working Groups regarding “Transport, Energy and Environmental Benefits of Intermodal Freight Strategies.”

 

APEC

Transport, Energy and Environmental Benefits of Transit Oriented Development Strategies Final Report, April 2013. The report was designed to: a) Assess the “energy, transport and environmental benefits of transit-oriented development (TOD) strategies”; b) Evaluate TOD “in terms of reduced oil imports, pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced travel times”; c) Encourage TOD “Through a better understanding of these benefits, … throughout the APEC region”; d) Provide case studies of TOD to demonstrate these concepts

 

APEC

Inflation, its Volatility and the Inflation-Growth Tradeoff in India, 2013

 

ASARC

Estimating India's Fiscal Reaction Function, 2013

 

ASARC

Corporate Retail Outlets are Blessings in Disguise for Unorganized Retail Outlets: An Empirical Analysis in the Indian Context, 2013

 

ASARC

The Role of Bribes in Rural Governance: The Case of India, 2013

 

ASARC

Determinants and Persistence of benefits from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: Panel Data Analysis for Rajasthan, India, 2013

 

ASARC

Elderly's Health Shocks and Household's Ex-ante Poverty in India, 2013

 

ASARC

Monetary Authority of Singapore: Macroeconomic Review, Volume XII, Issue 1, April 2013 (Full Report, Presentation Slides for Briefing):  

MAS

Technological Change, Skill Demand, and Wage Inequality in Indonesia, March 2013. This paper examines the empirical implications of technological changes for skill demand and wage inequality in Indonesia. According to the National Labor Force Survey of Indonesia, the share of educated workers and wage skill premium increased significantly over 2003–2009 for overall industry and across the region. An analysis based on demand–supply framework suggests that demand shifts favoring skilled workers during the period...

 

ADB

Federal Transfers and Fiscal Discipline in India: An Empirical Evaluation, March 2013. This paper examines the relationship between federal transfers and fiscal deficits in India. The system of federal transfers has been criticized on the grounds that it distorts the incentives for states to promote fiscal discipline...

 

ADB

Complexity, Specialization, and Growth, March 2013. This paper analyzes the role of complexity in production on the level of output and on its rate of growth...

 

ADB

Regional Cooperation and Integration in a Changing World, Published 2013. This monograph attempts to address some of the financial and trade aspects of integration in Asia. It has two self-contained sections. Section 1 focuses on the costs and benefits of regional integration in general, and concludes with some pointers specific to financial integration. Section 2 deals with trade integration and related policy challenges. The analysis begs many questions. Some—but not all—can be answered by the suggestions offered in the two sections...

 

ADB

RCI Diogest: Monitoring Asian Regional Cooperation and Intergration, Volume 3, Issue 1, December 2012-January 2013. The RCI Digest follows the progress of initiatives under ADB’s four pillars of regional cooperation and integration (RCI): (i) cross.border infrastructure, (ii) trade and investment, (iii) money and finance, and (iv) regional public goods...

 

ADB

Disaster Risk Management in Asia and the Pacific: Issues Paper, April 2013. This issues paper aims to help ADB DMC governments integrate Disaster Risk Management into their national developmental strategies and examine how emerging economies of Asia can cooperate to improve their disaster risk management practices, in view of increasing risks of compound disasters, climate change, and expanding production networks...

 

ADB

Development Asia: Can Asia Beat the Menace of Rising Inequality? April 2013. In this issue, Development Asia examines Asia’s widening inequality from many different perspectives. It looks at the role of globalization in producing inequality, and considers the disputed relationship between inequality and economic growth...

 

ADB

Beyond Factory Asia: Fuelling Growth in a Changing World, Published 2013. How can regional economies move beyond Factory Asia? What strategies can Asian economies pursue to meet these challenges? This monograph will examine a range of policy, institutional, legal, and regulatory issues relating to reforms that will drive Asia’s economic and social transformation in its quest for a new Factory Asia model...

 

ADB

ADB Annual Report 2012: Main Report, Financial Report. In 2012, the Board of Directors continued to oversee the implementation of Strategy 2020—ADB’s paramount (Status as of 31 December 2012) View infographic in higher resolution. strategic framework to guide all its operations to 2020—as it deliberated and took decisions to improve ADB’s responsiveness, development effectiveness, and accountability. ADB’s operations in 2012 totaled $21.57 billion. Of this amount, $13.30 billion was financed by ADB and Special Funds, and $8.27 billion by cofinancing partners. Meanwhile, ADB’s cofinancing operations continue to extend the impact of our development assistance...

 

ADB

America's Unchecked Security State: Part II: The Continuity of COG Detention Planning, 1948-2001, April 2013

 

APJ

America's Unchecked Security State: Part I: The Toxic Legacy of J. Edgar Hoover’s Illegal Powers, April 2013

 

APJ

Yet Another Lost Decade? Whither Japan's North Korea Policy under Abe Shinzō, April 2013

 

APJ

Japan Under Neonationalist, Neoliberal Rule: Moving Toward an Abyss? April 2013

 

APJ

Why Now is a Good Time for Economic Engagement of North Korea, April 2013

 

APJ

Ikeda Manabu, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and Disaster/Nuclear Art in Japan, April 2013

 

APJ

Uncomfortable Questions in the Wake of Nuclear Accidents at Fukushima and Chernobyl, April 2013

 

APJ

Pakistan's Nuclear Labyrinth and the Future of Democratization, April 2013. Yogesh Joshi, Ph.D Candidate at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Frank O'Donnell, Ph.D Candidate at King's College London, explain that "The paradox for the international community is that a strong military ensures the safety of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, even when that same force is the biggest obstacle to a lasting democracy."

 

EWC

The Ongoing Talibanization of Karachi, April 2013. Alok Bansal, Executive Director of the South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs in New Delhi, explains that "The window of opportunity for the Pakistani state to contain the growing influence of the TTP in Karachi is rapidly declining."

 

EWC

Dignity in International Relations, April 2013. David I. Steinberg, Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, writes that "The need for dignity in international negotiations is an essential component for dealing with unpleasant or enemy regimes if one is to attain some of the objectives of such negotiations."

 

EWC

Why China's Return to the Sea May Not Be All Bad, April 2013. Christian Le Mičre, Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, explains that "Beijing has avoided major conflict for nearly 35 years, and seems set to continue to do so for the foreseeable future."

 

EWC

How Mobile Is the Footloose Industry? The Case of the Notebook PC Industry in China, Published 2013. This paper reexamines the concept of the "footloose industry" from the perspective of global production networks (GPNs). Among the players in these GPNs, contract manufacturers are believed to be the most footloose, as they are the most sensitive to labor costs. China's notebook personal computer industry is used to illustrate the fact that unique labor institutions in the coastal areas of China have permanently changed the structures of GPNs in that industry, including power relations and production organizations. These changes have made the relocation of manufacturing activities more difficult, and have also given contract manufacturing more power regarding relocation decisions.

 

EWC

Education in Pacific Island States: Reflections on the Failure of 'Grand Remedies', Published 2013. Victor Levine asks a fundamental question of increasing importance to a globalizing region: How can Pacific Island states provide decent public education to their children? Based on broad international experience, he examines the evidence regarding what does and does not work in public education. While the literature suggests numerous instances of declining quality in Pacific public-education systems, Levine finds some basis for optimism about what is possible...

 

EWC

Strengthening the Core of the G20: Clearer Objectives, Better Communication, Greater Transparency and Accountability, April 2013. To be the premier forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 will need to strengthen such core features as clarity of objectives, communication, transparency and accountability. This Analysis outlines what Australia can do in all these areas when it chairs the G20 in 2014...

 

Lowy

India-Australia Poll 2013, April 2013. The India-Australia Poll is a groundbreaking survey of Indian public attitudes towards Australia, with some surprising results. It reveals broadly positive views towards Australia, but lingering concerns about student safety...

 

Lowy

Football Diplomacy Redux: the 2015 Asian Cup and Australia's Engagement with Asia, March 2013. In 2015 Australia will host the Asian Football Confederation’s Asian Cup, bringing together the top 16 national teams in Asia. The tournament will provide opportunities for government, business and community groups to strengthen their engagement with Asia. In order to understand and leverage those opportunities, the Lowy Institute and the Asian Cup Local Organising Committee held a day-long conference on 23 November 2012, bringing together senior government, business, tourism, sport and ...

 

Lowy

The American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China: White Paper 2013, American Business in China (Bilingual, Full Report)  

AmCham

The 2030 Architecture of Association of Southeast Asian Nations Free Trade Agreements, April 2013. This paper investigates and analyzes the present status, potential, and prospects of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) free trade agreements (FTAs). The move towards the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015 and the attempts to broaden FTAs in East Asia present major challenges to ASEAN. Ultimately, it is desirable for ASEAN to draw a clear picture of how the architecture of ASEAN FTAs in 2030 can be given shape.

 

ADB

Lessons from the European Spaghetti Bowl, April 2013. European economic integration fascinates and inspires for the way it brought peace to a continent torn by violent and long-standing rivalries. The lessons from Europe, however, cannot be applied directly as the degree of the European Union's supranationality is unthinkable elsewhere. This paper discusses how Europe overcame the specific problem of overlapping free trade agreements (FTAs) with the Pan-European Cumulation System which instituted common rules of origin, regional cumulation of value, and completed the full matrix of bilateral FTAs. After this, Europe had what can be thought of as a "customs union" for rules of origin.

 

ADB

Knowledge Management Directions and Action Plan (2013–2015): Supporting “Finance ++” at the Asian Development Bank, Published 2013. Applying collective know-how to solve complex development challenges is key for achieving lasting development results more quickly. ADB's long-term strategic framework, Strategy 2020, identifies “knowledge solutions” as a driver of change for stimulating growth and synergizing broader assistance in its operations. ADB's goal is to turn them into a comparative advantage for the institution to benefit of Developing Member Countries (DMCs)...

 

ADB

APEC Economic Trends Analysis, April 2013. The PSU’s APEC Economic Trends Analysis provides an overview on emerging trends underlying the region’s economic prospects by providing in-depth analysis on recent macroeconomic and financial developments in the APEC region.

 

APEC

Key Trends and Developments relating to Trade and Investment Measures and their Impact on the APEC Region, April 2013. This report was presented at the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Surabaya, Indonesia in April 2013. It highlights that there was a sharp deceleration in trade growth as well as a reduction in FDI inflows in 2012, the result of a setback to the global economic recovery that occurred last year...

 

APEC

2012 PSU Annual Report, April 2013. The annual report is a summary of the APEC Policy Support Unit’s operations and activities for the calendar year. It includes an overview of projects and activities undertaken in 2012, a list of completed and current projects, audited financial statements, and information about the PSU.

 

APEC

IFAP Implementation in Facilitating Investment for the Asia Pacific Region, March 2013. The main objectives of this study are to: (i) describe APEC Investment Facilitation Action Plan (IFAP) implementation progress; and (ii) analyse the pattern and trends of foreign investment flows in the APEC region.

 

APEC

The 2013 Interim Assessment for Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan, March 2013. This report presents the results of the interim assessment on APEC’s Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan against the target of a 10% improvement in supply chain performance in terms of time, costs and uncertainty by 2015...

 

APEC

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino: Why "Deepening" Matters in Achieving Its Human Capital Objectives, February 2013

 

PIDS

Why a New Industrial Policy for the Philippines Is Critical, January 2013

 

PIDS

How Critical Is Transport and Logistics Infrastructure to Interregional Trade? The Case of High-value Fruits and Vegetables in Mindanao, December 2012

 

PIDS

The Philippines and East Asia: Building on Partnerships to Take Part in the Region's Dynamism, December 2012

 

PIDS

Toward Deepening East Asian Integration: How Convergent Are the Rules of Origin in the ASEAN+1 Free Trade Agreements, December 2012

 

PIDS

Perceptions and Laws on Unfair Trade Practices in the Philippines, December 2012

 

PIDS

The Urgent Need to Increase Baseload Generating Capacity in Mindanao, November 2012

 

PIDS

Should the Philippines Tariffy its Quantitative Restriction on Rice? October 2012

 

PIDS

Typhoons, Floods, and Droughts: Regional Occurrence and Value of Damages to Rice Farming in the Philippines, September 2012

 

PIDS

Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs, Volume 12 No. 1 Summer 2012:

Greater China

Japan

Korea

Book Reviews

 

SJEAA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asian Development Outlook 2013: Asia's Energy Challenge (Highlights, Full Report) estimates that regional economic growth in the Asia Pacific region will pick up to 6.6% in 2013 and reach 6.7% in 2014. This is a distinct improvement on 2012, when growth stood at just over 6%. Consumer prices are expected to rise by 4.0% in 2013 and 4.2% in 2014, up from 3.7% last year...  

ADB

Association of Southeast Asian Nations, People's Republic of China, and India Growth and the Rest of the World: The Role of Trade, April 2013. This paper explores the impact of past and future growth in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the People's Republic of China (PRC), and India—the ACI countries—on aggregate welfare, relative wages, and global emissions in the rest of the world. It outlines several analytical frameworks, considers effects over the past decade and, based on consensus forecasts, the implications of that growth for the rest of the world in the decades to come.

 

ADB

International Price Dispersion and Market Segmentation in Japan and the United States: Theory and Empirics, April 2013. This paper focuses on the pricing behavior of Japanese and United States firms selling their identical products in New York City, Chicago, Osaka, and Tokyo. The authors utilize some simple models of international price dispersion and market segmentation that generate predictions about testable prices. The dataset, which consists of prices of identical products in the Japanese and American cities, was collected and accepted by both governments. Using this data, versions of international price dispersion theories are tested and some empirical evidence to support the view that simple international price dispersion models can partly explain the observed prices is found.

 

ADB

Hong Kong: High Frequency Macroeconomic Forecasts Current Quarter Model: 2013Q2, April 2013. Real GDP in 13Q1 is estimated to increase by 3.9% when compared with the same period last year. This is an upward revision of our previous forecast of 2.9% growth released in January 3, 2013, reflecting a strong pickup in domestic demand. In 13Q2, real GDP growth is forecast to rise by 5.3% when compared with the same period last year...

 

HKU

America's Voluntary Standards System: A 'Best Practice' Model for Asian Innovation Policies? Published 2013. This study reviews the historical roots of the American system, examines its defining characteristics, and highlights its strengths and weaknesses. A tradition of decentralized local self-government has given voice to diverse stakeholders in innovation. However, a lack of effective coordination of multiple stakeholder strategies constrains effective and open standardization processes. Asian countries seeking to improve their standards systems should study the strengths and weaknesses of the American system. Attempts to replicate the US standards system will face clear limitations--persistent differences in Asia's economic institutions, levels of development, and growth models are bound to limit convergence to a US-style market-led voluntary standards system.

 

EWC

Japan's Crucial Role in Afghanistan, April 2013. Victoria Tuke, Visiting Fellow at the Tokyo Foundation, explains why "The centrality of the US-Japan alliance to Japan is an important consideration regarding Afghanistan, but Japan's interests are broader than solely the alliance."

 

EWC

Marine & Ocean Energy Development: An Introduction for Practitioners in APEC Economies, March 2013. This publication is a summary of presentations made at the project final conference (October 16-17, 2012 Vladivostok, Russia) and also draws on various most influential reports on marine power. We designed it to raise awareness among the policy makers and energy practitioners in APEC economies of the tidal power resource and opportunities. A wider audience of interested officials and businesses in APEC economies may also benefit from this concise non-technical reading.

 

APEC

Research Outcomes: Summary of Research Projects 2012, Published 2013.

 

APEC

Characteristics of Chinese Military Culture: A Historical Perspective, April 2013. Military culture influences military thinking and military strategy. Today, the armed forces of the major powers have the goal of defending their national interests and contributing to world peace. For geographical and historical reasons, Chinese military culture developed its own unique orientation. Just as culture is what makes groups different from each another and distinguishes man from the animals, so too is military culture to what distinguishes the armed forces from other social groups. Similarly, Chinese military culture makes China’s armed forces different to those of other countries. These cultural differences express themselves in the characteristics of various countries’ armed forces. Studying Chinese military culture is thus a path toward a better understanding of the characteristics of the Chinese armed forces.

 

ISDP

Historical Changes in Relations Between China and Neighboring Countries (1949 - 2012), March 2013. The concept of the ‘neighborhood’ (zhoubian) has a prominent place in China’s thinking about its foreign policy, as good relations with neighboring countries have great significance for China’s development. There have been three distinct phases in China’s relations with neighboring countries since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, in each of which the Chinese leadership has proposed different diplomatic policies towards neighboring countries, according to the domestic and international situations. However, with the present rapid economic development of China, there have been some noticeable changes that will present challenges to China’s dealings with neighboring countries. This presentation will provide perspectives on these questions.

 

ISDP

The Road to ASEAN Financial Integration: A Combined Study on Assessing the Financial Landscape and Formulating Milestones for Monetary and Financial Integration in ASEAN, Published 2013. This paper provides a summary assessment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the state of financial integration in the region, with inputs from the Asian Development Bank regional technical assistance project Combined Studies on Assessing the Financial Landscape and Formulating Milestones for Monetary and Financial Integration in ASEAN.

 

ADB

Can Global Value Chains Effectively Serve Regional Economic Development in Asia? March 2013. Regional economic integration through logistics, information network and connectivity improvement can increase the .virtual size‘ of an economy as trade with neighboring countries increases. This leads to substantial benefits from scale, network, coordination and agglomeration economies. As is shown, especially in small economies and LDCs, regional economic integration induces the necessary rebalancing needed for integration of the regional portions of Global Value Chains (GVCs) to the global portions of GVCs. This paper demonstrates this with South Asian case studies in GVC development and with the related mapping methodology...

 

ADB

Preferential and Non-Preferential Approaches to Trade Liberalization in East Asia: What Differences Do Utilization Rates and Reciprocity Make? March 2013. Previous studies on the impacts of free trade agreements (FTAs) in East Asia have assumed full utilization of preferences. The evidence suggests that this assumption is seriously in error, with the estimated uptake particularly low in East Asia. In this paper, we assume a more realistic utilization rate in estimating impacts. We find that actual utilization rates significantly diminish the benefits from preferential liberalization, but in a non-linear way...

 

ADB

Cross-Regional Comparison of Trade Integration: The Case of Services, March 2013. In this paper, we will examine the level of services trade integration in Asia in comparison with Europe and North America. The main empirical findings of this paper are that (i) the regional bias of services trade in Asia is as high or higher than in Europe and North America; (ii) in Asia, the regional bias of services trade is higher than that of goods trade, which is in sharp contrast to Europe and North America, where the regional bias of goods trade is higher than that of services trade; and (iii) while Asia’s regional bias of goods trade shows a declining trend, that of services trade remains high, although in the future its decline is expected...

 

ADB

Asian Development Review, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2013 (Full Report):   ADB

Fulfilling the Promises of South Asian Integration: A Gravity Estimation, April 2013. This paper examines the determinants and trade effects of the South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) using empirical methods. An empirical specification of the gravity model is developed to analyze the determinants of trade flows for the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) countries. The need for maintaining the primacy of economic integration in the region's growth and development processes is highlighted...

 

ADB

Deepening Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Financial Markets, March 2013. This paper discusses the financial landscape of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a region engaged in building an economic community (a "single market and production base") by 2015. In particular, it reviews where ASEAN's financial markets and institutions now stand and suggests possible ways in which they might be developed further to meet the aspirations of the region.

 

ADB

Consular Conundrum: The Rising Demands and Diminishing Means for Assisting Australians Overseas, March 2013. The demands on Australia’s consular service are growing. Huge numbers of Australians are travelling overseas every year, and the expectations of what the Australian government can or should do for them when they find themselves in distress are rising, driven by media and public pressure and, on occasion, by political expediency. This comes at a time when the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is under strain from decades of under-resourcing and political neglect. As a result, DFAT struggles to balance consular work with other key priorities...

 

Lowy

The United States: The Hidden Actor in the Senkaku Islands, April 2013. Akira Kato, Visiting Scholar at the East-West Center in Washington, explains that "It is a little known fact that the privately-owned Kuba Island and Japanese state-owned Taisho Island, both part of the Senkaku Islands, are under the exclusive control of the US military."

 

EWC

South Korea: Give Nukes a Chance, March 2013. Denny Roy, Senior Research Fellow at the East-West Center, argues that "An ROK nuclear weapons capability would impose a meaningful penalty on the DPRK for its nuclear weapons program."

 

EWC

How Useful Is an Asian Currency Unit (ACU) Index for Surveillance in East Asia? March 2013. An Asian Currency Unit (ACU) index is constructed using an alternative procedure which minimizes a basket or portfolio of assets expressed in terms of national currencies. Using this estimated ACU index and an ACU Deviation Indicator, the main finding of this study based on the current trajectory of East Asian currencies relative to this regional ACU average or benchmark is that there is a formation of two contrasting groups of countries in the region—one a group of strong currencies and the other a group of weak currencies...

 

ADB

Pacific Economic Monitor, March 2013. This edition of the Pacific Economic Monitor discusses 2013 and 2014 GDP growth and inflation projections for ADB's Pacific developing member countries. The theme of the policy briefs included in this issue is energy in the Pacific. Findings: Economic growth in the Pacific moderated to 7.3% in 2012, from a post-crisis high of 8.3% recorded in the previous year. This regional trend was driven primarily by the performance of the region's larger, natural resource–extracting, economies. Growth is seen to moderate further in 2013, before picking up in 2014.

 

ADB

On the Determinants of Scholastic Performance in Five Asian Countries, March 2013. This paper takes an efficiency analysis perspective to analyze, on the basis of the data of the 2009 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, the determinants of scholastic performance in five Asian countries (Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Thailand)...

 

ADB

A Practical Approach to International Monetary System Reform: Building Settlement Infrastructure for Regional Currencies, March 2013. The global financial crisis has once again stimulated discussions to reform the international financial architecture. This paper proposes that establishment of regional settlement currencies can contribute positively to this reform agenda.

 

ADB

Cost Recoverable Tariffs to Increase Access to Basic Services among Poor Households, March 2013. A contingent valuation survey from the Water Supply and Sanitation Project of the Asian Development Bank in Cebu, Philippines is used to show that tariff structures with a low one-time connection price and price differentiates based on wealth measures can result in a five-fold increase in the take-up of water services by poor households over the base tariff structure.

 

ADB

Firm Investment, Liquidity, and Bank Health: A Panel Study of Asian Firms in the 2000s, February 2013. This study examines the effects of a deterioration in bank health on the cash flow sensitivity of investment and cash holdings of firms.

 

ADB

Capital Controls: A Pragmatic Proposal, February 2013. To complement the IMF’s new framework and make it easier to operationalize, this paper proposes a pragmatic approach to the use of capital controls which leverages the G20 indicative guidelines in measuring excessive imbalances in order to simplify the IMF’s guidelines on the use of capital controls.

 

ADB

Operationalizing Experience: Donor Approaches to Service Delivery in Fragile States, February 2013. This study explores the different approaches to service delivery in fragile states by surveying donors' own evaluations of their existing fragile states policies.

 

ADB

APEC Human Capital Policies for Green Growth and Employment, March 2013. The purpose of this report is to summarize the HRDWG’s Human Capital Policies for Green Growth and Employment Project. This report is divided into three sections: (1) findings from an APEC survey conducted focused on Human Capital Policies and Practices for Green Growth and Employment, (2) a summary and overview of the APEC symposium that took place in Washington, DC on March 20-21, 2012, highlighting implications for developing APEC economies, and (3) appendices.

 

APEC

Potential Contribution of Small Pelagic Fish to Food Security within the Asia-Pacific Region, February 2013. This final report summarizes the study of the potential supply and use of small pelagic fish to tackle food security. The project took Indonesia and the Philippines, top producers of small pelagic fish in the region, as case study economies with Peru as the leading economy of the project.

 

APEC

International Seminar on Food Trade Safety to Prevent Avian Influenza, January 2013. This report provides an overall summary and the presentation papers presented the above seminar. The seminar emphasized some key points that attracting concerns of the government officials, the industries, the traders and the private sectors particularly in such aspects as the Avian Influenza and its sever impact, the measures taken for prevention and control, the Human Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza containment, food safety management measures, and combat of illegal trade etc.

 

APEC

Sustainable Land Management to Enhance Food Production of APEC Members, January 2013. The proceedings of the workshop should be particularly valuable in the context of APEC food security. The event brought together participants from public and private sectors working on sustainable land management related issues and allowed them to share their experiences and knowledge on its strategies, technologies and practices. The workshop outputs were expected to help find options and provide guidance in assessing present and future challenges to food security, to enhance our understansing on the causes of unsustainable food production, and address possible losses across entire food chain in each economy.

 

APEC

Final Report for APEC Low Carbon Model Town Project Phase 2, Feasibility Study for Samui Island, Thailand, November 2012. This report provides information of the Low Carbon Model Town Project (LCMT) Phase 2 in SAMUI Island low carbon town development project in Surat Thani province. The main purposes of LCMT Initiatives are to plan, develop and implement the concrete roadmap in order to lower the carbon emission from the selected town while the natural resources are effectively utilized and the economic growth still remains.

 

APEC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Foreign Direct Investment Promotes Development: The Case of the People's Republic of China’s Inward and Outward FDI, February 2013. This paper gives a brief introduction to the PRC’s inward and outward FDI, including their determinants, motives, main characteristics, and impact on the PRC and host countries. Inward FDI contributes to the PRC’s economic growth and industry development, increases tax revenue, and improves labor quality. The contribution of inward FDI to gross domestic product averages around 3%–6%. At the same time, outward FDI improves the PRC’s dynamic efficiency, and helps the host countries with capital inflow and infrastructure improvement.

 

ADB

Financial Conditions Indexes for Asian Economies, January 2013. Financial conditions indexes (FCIs) are constructed for five Asian economies, namely, Hong Kong, China; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; and Singapore, using a principal component analysis (PCA) methodology from Hatzius et al. (2010) and quarterly data. Various financial stress indicators are included, allowing the constructed Financial Condition Index to capture important episodes in each economy’s financial history...

 

ADB

Economic Impact of Eurozone Sovereign Debt Crisis on Developing Asia, January 2013. The European Union (EU) has traditionally been an important economic partner for Asia. In addition to absorbing a significant share of the region’s exports, the EU has been a major source of foreign direct investment and other capital flows into the region. In light of such close economic linkages between the EU and Asia, the euro crisis will undoubtedly influence Asia’s short-term macroeconomic outlook. The key question, however, is how big the impact will be. This paper tries to answer this by examining both the trade and financial channels of crisis transmission...

 

ADB

Protestantism and Human Capital in Guatemala and the Republic of Korea, January 2013. Protestant missions from the United States entered the Republic of Korea and Guatemala at the same time (1884 and 1882, respectively). Yet, their impact on human capital has been divergent. The analysis presented in this paper supports the findings of Woodberry (2004, 2009, 2011) and Nunn (2009) in the case of the Republic of Korea...

 

ADB

Myanmar's Trade and its Potential, January 2013. The paper tabulates Myanmar's merchandise trade as reported by its partner countries, thereby circumventing the data constraints stemming from Myanmar's patchy trade records. It then estimates Myanmar’s export potential, based on the bilateral export patterns observed for six other countries in Southeast Asia. Against that benchmark and controlling for outliers, Myanmar is found to be trading at about 15% its potential...

 

ADB

Truth to Power: Japanese Media, International Media and 3.11 Reportage, March 2013

 

APJ

Human Rights, Memory and Reconciliation: Korea-Japan Relations, March 2013

 

APJ

The US Military, Green Energy, and the SPIDERS at Pearl Harbor, March 2013

 

APJ

China-Japan Territorial Conflicts and the US-Japan-China Relations in Historical and Contemporary Perspective, March 2013

 

APJ

The Aftermath of the Emperor-Organ Incident: the Tōdai Faculty of Law, February 2013

 

APJ

The Sihanouk Era: The King and I, February 2013

 

APJ

Straight Outta Ichimiya: The Appeal of a Rural Japanese Rapper, February 2013

 

APJ

Proposals for Japan and the ROK to Resolve the "Comfort Women" Issue: Creating trust and peace in light of international law, January 2013

 

APJ

Okinawa's Henoko was a “storage location” for nuclear weapons: published accounts, January 2013

 

APJ

ANYUAN: Mining China's Revolutionary Tradition, January 2013

 

APJ

China's Energy Industrial Revolution (Part 2), January 2013

 

APJ

Getting to Zero: Doing the Nuclear Math about Japan's Ageing Reactors, December 2012

 

APJ

Deconstructing Japan's Claim of Sovereignty over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, December 2012

 

APJ

Power of the Korean Film Producer: Park Chung Hee's Forgotten Film Cartel of the 1960s Golden Decade and its Legacy, December 2012

 

APJ

China's Industrial Energy Revolution: Renewable targets just became even more demanding (Part 1), December 2012

 

APJ

Abe Days Are Here Again: Japan in the World, December 2012

 

APJ

Asia Bond Monitor, March 2013. The Asia Bond Monitor (ABM) reviews recent developments in East Asian local currency bond markets along with outlook, risks, and policy challenges. It covers the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus the People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; and the Republic of Korea. "The Asian Bond Monitor has become the definitive guide to the development and structure of the emerging East Asian bond markets. As such, it is essential reading for anyone involved or interested in this increasingly important and rapidly growing asset class." - Geoffrey Lunt, Senior Product Specialist, Asian Fixed Income, HSBC Global Asset Management (Hong Kong) Ltd.

 

ADB

Asian Economic Integration Monitor, March 2013. The Asian Economic Integration Monitor is a semiannual review of Asia’s regional economic cooperation and integration. This issue includes a special chapter - Multilateralizing Asian Regionalism: Approaches to Unraveling the Asian Noodle Bowl.

 

ADB

Emerging Geopolitical Trends and Security in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the People's Republic of China, and India (ACI) Region, March 2013. This paper provides an assessment of the region's unfolding geopolitical transformation in recent years and asks if the regional structures in Asia can cope with it. The paper also explores the problems of integrating the two rising Asian powers, the PRC and India, into the structures of global governance. It concludes with a brief discussion on the strategic policy imperatives facing the ACI region.

 

ADB

Asian Development Bank Trade Finance Survey: Major Findings, March 2013. Findings from this survey suggest that trade finance gaps exist and need to be addressed because of the strong links between trade finance, business expansion, and job creation. It also underscores the importance of further study and collaboration among multilateral development banks, government, financial institutions, and companies to ensure maximum financial support to trade is available, given that the interlinked component parts of trade finance, business expansion, and jobs need coordination to create as much growth and poverty reduction as possible.

 

ADB

Managing Reforms for Development: Political Economy of Reforms and Policy-Based Lending Case Studies, Published 2013. The book's intended readers are development practitioners involved in the policy reform process. It aims to help them understand political economy factors that shape actual outcomes, and to simplify the complexities of policy reform and the loans and technical assistance that support such reform.

 

ADB

Economics of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in South Asia: Options and Costs, Published 2013. This report synthesizes the results of national studies on options and costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in five South Asia DMCs—Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

 

ADB

Asian Water Development Outlook 2013: Measuring Water Security in Asia and the Pacific, Published 2013. This second edition of the Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) provides the first quantitative and comprehensive view of water security in the countries of Asia and the Pacific. By focusing on critical water issues, AWDO 2013 provides finance and planning leaders with recommendations on policy actions to improve water governance and guidance on investments to increase their country's water security.

 

ADB

WaterWealth? Investing in Basin Management in Asia and the Pacific, Published 2013. Drawing on a cross-section of 43 case studies prepared specially for this book, WaterWealth explains the challenges to improving water governance and management across Asia and the Pacific region. It illustrates many examples of new approaches and practices already being applied by basin managers to secure water for all.

 

ADB

Report to the President Office of Anticorruption and Integrity: Annual Report 2012, Published 2013. This publication highlights OAI’s efforts in 2012 to ensure that ADB’s development funds are used with regard to value for money for their intended purposes, and not usurped through fraudulent or corrupt practices.

 

ADB

Grading Europe in the Asia-Pacific: European Foreign Policy Scorecard 2013, February 2013. Jonas Parello-Plesner, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, explains that "On issues of trade and economics, the EU is clearly showing that is has a strategy that it is implementing."

 

EWC

Regulatory Reform: Case Studies on Green Investments, February 2013. The report includes 12 case studies on the implementation of regulatory policies of selected APEC economies in order to draw lessons on regulatory reform, by analysing different experiences in formulating and implementing policies to improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy technologies in particular sectors...

 

APEC

Training for Trainers on Intellectual Property Issues: Management and Commercialization, February 2013. This project addresses the issues of capacity building enhancing and experience sharing for IP-related sphere by holding ‘Training for trainers’. The workshop findings and the workshop proceedings are presented in this report...

 

APEC

SMEs' Participation in Global Production Chains, February 2013. Rising globalization and economic integration have enabled SMEs to increase their contributions to the region’s development through greater participation in global production chains (GPCs). More and more SMEs are engaged in activities that link up with multi-national corporations, providing intermediate goods or services that are used to build the final products. SMEs’ participation in GPCs yields substantial benefits; however, currently the level of SMEs participation in GPCs is still quite low...

 

APEC

Inadequate Regional Financial Safety Nets Reflect Complacency, March 2013. To the extent that financial contagion from the United States and the euro area crisis has occurred in Asia, this paper focuses on the importance of strengthening the regional financial safety nets. By conjecturing that efforts to prevent and manage a crisis are the essence of providing such safety nets, the author argues that efforts made by ASEAN+3 officials, especially in the provision of liquidity support during a crisis, are far from adequate...

 

ADB

Understanding Innovation in Production Networks in East Asia, March 2013. This paper explores the "black box" of innovation in the electronics production network in East Asia through a mapping exercise of technological capabilities and an econometric analysis of exporting in the People's Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, and the Philippines. Technology-based approaches to trade offer a plausible explanation for firm-level exporting behavior and complement the literature on production networks...

 

ADB

Supervision of Financial Market Infrastructures in Singapore, January 2013. The monograph describes MAS’ approach in supervising financial market infrastructures (“FMI”) in Singapore to foster their safety and efficiency. It updates and replaces the 2004 monograph on MAS’ Roles and Responsibilities in Relation to Securities Clearing and Settlement Systems in Singapore.  

MAS

Patterns of Free Trade Areas in Asia, Published 2013. The study identifies for policymakers how best to minimize the costs of FTAs while maximizing their benefits. It reexamines key trends and challenges in Asian FTAs and offers new information from analysis of FTAs, economic models, and firm surveys. This analysis supports strengthening business support for FTAs; rationalizing rules of origin and upgrading their administration; expanded coverage of agricultural and services trade; forging comprehensive "WTO-plus" agreements; and encouraging a region-wide FTA. The analysis suggests a bottom-up approach to global trade liberalization as a complement to WTO processes

 

EWC

The Elusive Nature of North Korean Reform, February 2013. The new leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, appears to be fostering a new political enthusiasm for reform. Is this all theatrics? Or does it signify a substantive policy shift? Reform is possible: Kim Jong-un may have the necessary resolve to successfully push reform; officials associated with the last reform attempt are still present and may truly be able to bring lessons learned to bear on a new reform effort; and, importantly, both China and South Korea are likely to be supportive of a sincere attempt at reform...

 

EWC

How Emerging Forms of Capitalism Are Changing the Global Economic Order, February 2013. The US model of free-market capitalism has been a dominant force in the post-communist world order, setting the agenda for economic governance and development. That supremacy, however, was severely tarnished by the 2008 global financial crisis, increasing the potential for new challenges from alternative economic models. Now, models of capitalism espousing more state involvement as practiced in Brazil, Russia, India, and, especially, in China are contenders on the political economic landscape of the world...

 

EWC

Reef and Relations: Is the Philippines-US Alliance Finally Maturing? February 2013. Julio S. Amador III, Foreign Affairs Research Specialist at the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines, explains that the recent grounding in Filipino waters of the USS Guardian, "[s]hows just how delicate managing alliances can be, and the response by the Filipino and US governments also demonstrates a level of maturity in managing the issue."

 

EWC

Sri Lanka's Ongoing Shift to Authoritarianism, February 2013. Neil DeVotta, Associate Professor at Wake Forest University, discusses how "[S]ri Lanka is clearly moving towards an entrenched brand of political authoritarianism under Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cronies."

 

EWC

China's Intervention in the Myanmar-Kachin Peace Talks, February 2013. Yun Sun, Visiting Fellow with the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, explains that "[t]hese latest talks set a new precedent because of the central role that China played in the process and signify a major intervention by Beijing that is unique."

 

EWC

Impact of the ASEAN Economic Community on ASEAN Production Networks, February 2013. Empirical evidence suggests that the emergence of international production networks in East Asia results from market-driven forces such as vertical specialization and higher production costs in the home countries and institutional-led reasons such as free trade agreements. This paper examines two industries—autos and auto parts, and hard disk drives (HDDs)—to understand international production networks...

 

ADB

Hot Money Flows, Commodity Price Cycles, and Financial Repression in the US and the People's Republic of China: The Consequences of Near Zero US Interest Rates, January 2013. R. McKinnon and Z. Liu explain why near zero US interest rates are bad for the US and the rest of the world...

 

ADB

The Threat of Financial Contagion to Emerging Asia's Local Bond Markets: Spillovers from Global Crises, January 2013. I. J. Azis, et al look at shock and volatility spillovers from mature bond markets into select Asian local currency bond markets and discuss implications for the monitoring and policy coordination...

 

ADB

Critical Review of East Asia - South America Trade, January 2013. S. Hamanaka and A. Tafgar examine whether trade between East Asia and South America is a general phenomenon, a country-specific, or a commodity-specific issue, and whether increased trade is due to diversification, price effects, and/or quantity effects...

 

ADB

A New Regime of SME Finance in Emerging Asia: Empowering Growth-Oriented SMEs to Build Resilient National Economies, December 2012. S. Shinozaki reviews possible financing modalities to improve small- and medium-scale enterprise (SME) access to finance, considering Asia's bank-centered financial system...

 

ADB

Chinese Southern Diaspora Studies, Volume 5, 2011-2012: Chinese in Singapore

 

CSDS/
ANU

APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules System Implementation: Peru, February 2013. This Report reviews the data privacy framework in Peru and considers an approach for an Accountability Agent and the Enforcement Authority that would be consistent with Peru’s domestic legal regime and its historic approach to regulation.

 

APEC

Transport, Energy and Environmental Benefits of Intermodal Freight Strategies, Final Report, February 2013. This report provides a summary of the project findings. The project investigated the benefits of using intermodal approaches to the movement of freight in urban settings as a means of improving energy efficiency and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.

 

APEC

Access to Trade and Growth of Women's SMEs in APEC Developing Economies, February 2013. Research for this project aimed to highlight the complex array of factors affecting women in business through a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. A quantitative survey targeted SME owners in domestic and exporting firms, half of whom were women. Qualitative methods included focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and case studies.

 

APEC

Enhanced Capacity Building for Food Safety Risk Assessment in Asia-Pacific, February 2013. This report summarizes the research work under the above APEC project which, amongst others, aims to share the experiences and lessons in the field of food safety risk assessment among APEC and non-APEC economies.

 

APEC

Economic Impact of Submarine Cable Disruptions, February 2013. The present study and the economic impact model serve to fulfill the goals of the APEC Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan, resolved by the APEC member economies, which contains under its Chokepoint 7 the protection of submarine cables.

 

APEC

APEC Energy Demand and Supply Outlook, February 2013 covering Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States and Viet Nam.

 

APEC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

  

 
 

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