Women entrepreneurs make a significant contribution to the Indian economy. However, access to formal finance is a crucial barrier to the growth of women-owned businesses. In this podcast, Renana Jhabvala, the President of SEWA, the Self-Employed Women’s Association, will explain the policy tool that the Indian government has been implementing to fo…

Almost two million households across Central Asia suffer from energy poverty according to the World Bank. The challenges are to maintain and provide infrastructure in rural parts of the region and explore new energy models for social inclusion and just transition.In this podcast, ADBI Senior Research Fellow Dina Azhgaliyeva, Zhanna Kapsalyamova fro…

By 2050, the global number of persons above 65 years old will double to over 1.5 billion, according to the United Nations, and Asia will continue to have the largest share of the world’s aged population.In this podcast, Waseda University Associate Professor, Upalat Korwatanasakul provides an overview of demographic transition and its effects on fis…

In this episode of Asia’s Developing Future, Keio University professor Sayuri Shirai, a former Bank of Japan Policy Board member and ADBI visiting fellow, explains the role of central banks in promoting green central banking and climate-related monetary policies in developing Asia.She stresses the importance of improving awareness of financial inst…

In this podcast, the Asian Development Bank Institute’s Santi Setiawati spotlights Japan’s innovative sanitation and wastewater management systems and the implementation lessons they offer developing countries in Asia seeking to address coverage gaps within the sector.The discussion is based on the ADBI policy brief The Financial and Institutional …

Economic policy prescriptions for crisis-hit developing countries known as the “Washington Consensus” have boosted prosperity in Asia and beyond but also have been criticized for negatively affecting manufacturing jobs and the labor force in developed countries.In this podcast, Jenny Gordon, Honorary Professor at the Centre for Social Research and …

Many governments and non-governmental entities are making ambitious pledges to reduce carbon emissions and move toward a global net-zero level by 2050 to fight climate change. Whether these goals can be achieved will depend on implementation work that verifies pledges are legitimate and not simply empty promises known as ‘greenwashing’. In this pod…

The “metaverse” is an emerging concept that could open the door to new service delivery and job creation. But what is the metaverse exactly and how could it affect developing economies in Asia and the Pacific?In this podcast, Beth Ann Lim, director of policy programs and campaigns at Meta Asia Pacific, and Professor Yong Lim at the Seoul National U…

The realization of carbon net-zero economies in Asia and beyond will depend on the capacity of sectors to adopt decarbonization solutions.In this podcast, Professor Frank Jotzo, Professor Llewelyn Hughes, and Dr Tom Longden from the Australian National University Crawford School of Public Policy discuss hydrogen’s potential to support the global tr…

Fast-growing developing and emerging countries in Asia and beyond are facing the dual challenges of meeting increasing energy demand while tackling carbon emissions to fight climate change.In this podcast, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB) Chief Economist Erik Berglof describes policy tools a state can use to accelerate private sector-back…

COVID-19-induced school closures have significantly disrupted learning and contributed to learning losses that could have lasting socioeconomic impacts.In this podcast, Harvard University education professor Fernando Reimers examines the pandemic’s effects on education, disparities faced by developing countries, and lessons for mitigating future ed…

Supply chain disruptions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its economic impacts continue to undermine energy and food security. They are also prompting economies and businesses to rethink how they obtain critical raw materials and component parts.In this podcast, Alexander Plekhanov of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (…

Under the concept of “inclusive sanitation,” access to a safe and clean toilet is considered a right, not a privilege. Yet the world still has work to do to deliver sanitation for all by 2030, as targeted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and recent efforts to consider gender minorities in the sector are an emerging imperative. I…

Asia and the Pacific account for over 50% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing the urgent need for action to limit global warming to 1.5°C and fight climate change, governments in the region are increasingly committing to the ambitious target of net-zero carbon emissions by around mid-century.In this podcast, Asian Development…

The COVID-19 crisis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy security challenges, supply shortages, and soaring inflation continue to disrupt global trade and put economies worldwide under increasing pressure. In this podcast, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat Executive Director Rebecca Sta Maria explains APEC member economies’ e…

In this podcast, Nobel laureate Michael Kremer, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, discusses digitalization experiences and lessons learned within the agricultural sector and prospects for digital rural and agricultural development.Transcript: adbi.me/3UzcXS5Asian Development Bank Institute

Indonesia is the world’s fourth-largest producer of coal, Southeast Asia’s biggest gas supplier, and the largest biofuel producer globally, according to the International Energy Agency. Yet oil imports in Indonesia are increasing as incomes and consumption rise among the 250 million people of the archipelago, which holds the Group of 20 (G20) presi…

Asia and the Pacific is the world’s primary region for investment in low-carbon transition technologies. Despite recent growth trends, however, investment in clean energy still falls short of the level needed to meet global carbon emission reduction targets and fight climate change. In this podcast, ADBI’s Dina Azhgaliyeva and John Beirne, and Ranj…

Indonesia’s Group of 20 (G20) presidency in 2022 marks the start of three successive years in which the annual forum of the world’s largest economies will be hosted by developing countries, to be followed by India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024.In this podcast, Pramod Bhasin, Chair of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations …

The Think7, or T7, is the think tank engagement group of the Group of 7 (G7) launched under Germany’s 2022 G7 presidency. In this podcast, ADBI Dean Tetsushi Sonobe, Co-Chair of the T7 Task Force on Sustainable Economic Recovery, and ADBI’s John Beirne and Dina Azhgaliyeva discuss the role and future of the T7. This includes its capacity to support…

Benjamin Diokno started his appointment as Governor of Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas, or BSP, in March 2019. He has spent much of his term as head of the Philippine central bank guiding the country’s economy through the COVID-19 crisis. In this podcast, Governor Diokno discusses the Philippines’ post-pandemic recovery, which he says is well underway a…

In this podcast, Vegard Skirbekk of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Columbia University describes a new measure of aging burden that takes into account age-related health – the health adjusted dependency ratio. Skirbekk explains how this indicator overturns common assumptions about the population aging burden and its impacts across cou…

In this episode of Asia’s Developing Future, Keio University professor Sayuri Shirai, a former Bank of Japan Policy Board member and ADBI visiting fellow from 2016 to 2020, explains the role of developing Asia’s central banks in reviving economic growth while dealing with volatile capital outflows. She provides historical perspective and addresses …

In 2022, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) is observing the 25th anniversary of its founding as the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Tokyo-based think tank under the theme Toward Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development in Asia and the Pacific.In this episode of Asia’s Developing Future, Keio University professor Naoyuki Yoshino, ADBI…

Research has shown that when more women work, economies grow. Women’s economic empowerment also boosts productivity, income equality, and development outcomes. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a cloud over the economic outlook for women. In this podcast, ADBI Capacity Building and Training Economist Pitchaya Sirivunnabood describes the impacts o…

In 2022, the Asian Development Bank Institute is observing the 25th anniversary of its founding as the Asian Development Bank’s Tokyo-based think tank under the theme Toward Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development in Asia and the Pacific.In this episode of Asia’s Developing Future, the Australian National University’s Peter McCawley, ADBI De…

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation member countries, also known as the CAREC region, extends from Azerbaijan to the People’s Republic of China, and includes some of the world’s most important producers of energy and natural resources, and emerging trade routes. So how seriously has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the region’s economies a…

Public procurement is commonly used by governments in developed countries to promote innovation and socioeconomic policy objectives. However, the strategic use of public procurement as a public policy instrument for innovation is still uncommon in Asia.In this podcast, ADBI’s senior CBT economist Yongwook Lee and research associate Lingfeng Zheng d…

Digital transformation is raising the productive capacities of economies in Asia by enhancing trade, financial inclusion, and firm competitiveness, but could it provide an even greater competitive advantage?According to ADBI Research Fellow John Beirne, the answer is yes! In this podcast, Beirne explains how improvements in infrastructure, digital …

Economies across Asia and globally are facing the risk of spiraling debt and inflation triggered by emergency responses to the COVID-19 crisis. In this podcast, Indonesia Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati discusses how these challenges could impact economic recovery and strategies for addressing them, including the role of international cooper…

The COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow sought to rally global efforts to reduce carbon emissions needed to fight climate change and has prompted countries to commit to more ambitious climate actions. However, implementation challenges remain, particularly in fast-growing, highly-climate vulnerable developing countries in Asia and the Pacifi…

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the world’s cities. It has also prompted rethinking about the role of cities and the future of urbanization.In this podcast, urban development expert Tsuyoshi Hashimoto discusses the post-pandemic outlook for Asia’s cities and the implications for sustainable and inclusive growth in the region.His remar…

Spanning from the People’s Republic of China through Central Asian countries along the Caspian Sea to Europe, the Trans-Caspian Corridor is an increasingly important channel for transportation and cross-border trade.In this podcast, ADBI’s Dina Azhgaliyeva, Yelena Kalyuzhnova of the University of Reading, and Richard Pomfret of the University of Ad…

How has the COVID-19 crisis impacted the Asian economy and what can the region’s policy makers do to advance economic recovery? In this podcast, ADBI Research Fellow John Beirne addresses these fundamental questions, describing new research that underscores the importance of building longer-term resilience and sustainability in Asia and possible wa…

Like other emerging markets in Asia, Central Asia faces a significant need for infrastructure development to support onward growth but a comparable shortfall in project financing and implementation capacity.In this podcast, ADBI’s Dina Azhgaliyeva and Ranjeeta Mishra, and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Institute’s Kamalbek K…

Harmonizing intellectual property regimes could boost innovation in Asia, but how feasible is it?What steps could Asia take to enhance intellectual property protection and what impact could it have on the future of innovation development in the region? In this podcast, the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Peter Fowler explains the link b…

COVID-19 recovery in developing Asia could follow a traditional growth path that relies on carbon- and resource-intensive production. By contrast, the transition to a circular economy could deliver greener and more enduring post-pandemic growth in the region. In this podcast, ADBI’s Linda Arthur and Derek Hondo, describe the prospects for achieving…

The burden of water collection and distribution often disproportionately falls on the shoulders of women in Asia’s developing economies, where gaps in water infrastructure and hygiene persist and are particularly acute at a household level.In this podcast, Ashish Sedai of Colorado State University describes clean water access challenges in the regi…

Developing Asia will require around $30 trillion in infrastructure investment through 2030, according to the Asian Development Bank. But how has COVID-19 affected the infrastructure landscape and what role can the sector play in pandemic recovery across the region? In this podcast, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission Board Chair Alan Bollard desc…

With COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantine requirements, and work from home arrangements still prevalent, how will the pandemic impact the future of public transport and what lessons can policy makers in Asia learn from global experiences within the sector? In this podcast, we take a look at what’s happening outside the region with Greg Marsden of the Uni…

Central Asia remains highly dependent on polluting solid fuels despite significantly increasing access to cleaner alternatives in the region. In this podcast, ADBI’s Dina Azhgaliyeva and Ranjeeta Mishra, and CAREC Institute’s Kamalbek Karymshakov explain the implications of this gap, and what policy makers can do about it moving forward.The discuss…

Economic and social disruptions accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic have sharply affected labor migration in Asia.In this podcast, ADBI Capacity Building and Training Economist Pitchaya Sirivunnabood describes the pandemic’s implications for labor mobility as well as the role of digitalization in boosting labor migration management moving forward.…

In this podcast, Asian Development Bank Institute Dean Tetsushi Sonobe explains how global efforts to advance quality infrastructure development could enable a more sustainable and inclusive COVID-19 recovery. He stresses the importance of promoting infrastructure that recouples economic, social, and environmental prosperity, with attention to buil…

In this podcast, Benjamin Diokno, Governor of Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas, or BSP, discusses financial digitalization and inclusive COVID-19 recovery strategy with ADBI Dean Tetsushi Sonobe. Governor Diokno describes the Philippine central bank’s roadmap for overcoming pandemic shocks and building a stronger, more technologically advanced, and more …

The increased use of financial technology, or fintech, during the COVID-19 pandemic has provided households in Asia and the Pacific with more efficient and shock-resilient financial services access, and also helped the region’s micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises remain economically viable by offering faster and cheaper financial services th…

In this podcast, the University of Chicago’s Anjali Adukia presents her research on the link between school sanitation infrastructure, education growth, and development in India. Adukia describes the importance of latrine construction in schools for driving primary school enrollment, particularly among girls. She also discusses the policy implicati…

Greater infrastructure development could give remote, landlocked Central Asian economies a critical boost by enhancing pandemic recovery, poverty eradication, and climate change mitigation. However, growing constraints on the use of public funds will require new financing sources to tackle the region’s substantial infrastructure investment gap.In t…

Small and medium-sized enterprises – SMEs – account for most businesses and employment in Asia and the Pacific’s developing economies. Reigniting the region’s SME growth via trade will be key to advancing inclusive economic recovery and resilience in the face of COVID-19 challenges.In this podcast, Waseda University professor emeritus and ADBI visi…

Meeting developing Asia and the Pacific’s demand for quality infrastructure that can support inclusive post-pandemic growth will requires the steady but equitable acquisition of land. However, geography, settlement patterns, conflicting cultures, and unique country-level land use problems often raise concerns about the fairness of land procurement …

Like in other parts of Asia and the Pacific, small and medium-sized enterprises – SMEs – are the engine of developing Central Asian economies. Igniting the sector’s trade growth potential will be crucial to the region’s inclusive and sustainable COVID-19 recovery and development. In this podcast, ADBI Vice Chair of Research, Peter Morgan, examines …