The Asia Foundation

Support for the development of "Community-based Clean Water Solutions," by selecting a section of a river and designing a future pilot project in the area with community-based clean water solutions and participation through multi-stakeholder consultations.

Promoting use of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) to analyze regulations at the national and subnational levels in order to increase public participation and reduce numbers of distorting regulations; Revising the national RIA Manual with the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS); Hosting RIA trainings for provincial government officials from Bali and North Sulawesi; Providing assistance in East Nusa Tenggara and Aceh to utilize RIA.

Research on the competitiveness of exporting firms in Vietnam with a focus on three industries—garments, seafood, and electronic products. Findings from the research will contribute to CIEM’s effort to recommend strategic policies and supporting measures to the government that will help facilitate Vietnam’s sustainable growth and development.

Mapping best practices in transparency and access to information which can be formulated into targeted technical assistance packages; Provincial workshops to deliver the packages to local governments and to disseminate best practices to support reforms in other localities; Web-based business survey to capture the state of the economy and business environment, and provide economic forecasts; Dissemination and outreach activities based on survey results to foster public-private consultation and partnerships in policy formulation and economic development.

Empowering communities who are affected by economic land concessions and fishery violations in Kampong Chhnang province to protect their rights to livelihoods.

Center for Public Policy Analysis (Akademika); Aceh Anti-Corruption Movement (GeRAK Aceh); Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEUI); National Network for SME Supporters (JNP-UKM); Rural Technology Development Institute (LPTP); Research Center of the University of Nusa Cendana (Lemlit Undana).

Technical assistance on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) methodology and analysis of select regulations using RIA tools at the national and sub-national levels; Working with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade to review four national regulations, and with the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) to revise the national RIA manual at the national level; Series of RIA workshops and trainings to Bali and North Sulawesi Provincial Government officials to strengthen the role of the provinces on regulatory reform at the provincial level; Technical assistance at the local level, to two districts in East Nusa Tenggara Province and five districts in Aceh Province. The RIA approach emphasizes public participation and cost benefit analysis to improve regulatory review and drafting processes. RIA can be used to reduce numbers of distorting regulations, thus reducing the overall regulatory burden on businesses in Indonesia.

Research to map out best practices in transparency and access to information to be formulated into targeted technical assistance packages; Organizing provincial workshops to deliver the targeted assistance packages to local governments and disseminating best practices to support reforms in other localities; Developing a web-based business survey to regularly capture the state of the economy, business environment, and provide a forecast of economic outlook; Conducting dissemination and outreaching activities based on survey results to foster public-private consultation and partnership in policy formulation and economic development.

Travel support to six people to attend the “Asia Pacific 3PL Summit” at Singapore.

Public discussions to increase Philippine competitiveness in the air transport sector; Travel support to Frankie Villanueva, Jr. to attend the “Asia Pacific 3PL Summit” at Singapore.

Launch of the last leg of the Strong Republic National Highway led by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Demand-driven assistances to Tay Ninh and Hai Duong provinces to improve provincial economic governance including the development of a business portal, compilation of tax registration and declaration manuals for small and medium enterprises to reduce the compliance costs, capacity building for provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centers, and organization of policy dialogues with provincial leaderships to develop a broader reform agenda.

Research, policy studies, and public discussions on property rights issues.

Assistance to Ministry of Home Affairs to review the Nuisance Permit Law and to formulate a ministerial decree as the follow up of the review. The Nuisance Permit Law has been the main reference of the local governments to issue local regulations on Nuisance Permits, which were categorized as hampering the private sector; Logistical support for the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Finance to introduce Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) methods and to review selected national regulations using RIA tools.

Study on the policy and incentives of the decentralization process in Vietnam with focus on Investment Law. The study, conducted in seven provinces with different demographical features (Vinh Phuc, Ha Tay, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Tien Giang, and Binh Duong) will provide an analysis of provincial budget structure aiming at improved understanding of the leadership incentives to undertake reform programs.

Association for the Advancement of Small Business (PUPUK) Surabaya; Bandung Trust Advisory Group (Btrust); Center for Socio-Cultural and Economic Studies (PKSBE); Daya Prosumen Mandiri (DPM); Gorontalo Development Analysis Institute (LP2G); Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEUI); Rural Technological Development Institute (LPTP).

Assistance with public policy reform through the introduction of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) methods in eight districts and one city. In addition, the Foundation assisted the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Finance to introduce the RIA method and to review selected national regulations using the RIA tools. The RIA approach emphasizes public participation and cost benefit analysis in order to improve the regulatory drafting process. Local governments can use RIA to reduce the number of illegal and distorting regulations, thus reducing the overall regulatory burden on businesses in Indonesia.

Development of a RIA manual involving a group of writers and editors that included Foundation staff, RIA consultants, and our implementing partners. The manual includes four books: Book 1: The Importance of RIA, highlights the RIA method in brief and its context within international regulatory reform best practices; Book 2: RIA Implementation Guidelines, describes the detailed steps of RIA reviews; Book 3: RIA Future Development, discusses possible alternatives to institutionalize RIA nationally within Indonesia; and Book 4: References and Relevant RIA Documents, provides relevant materials such as RIA reports, brochures, and sample regulations.

Development of RIA training curriculum and facilitating the Training of Trainers for RIA national consultants. The objective is to create a pool of national consultants to provide sustainable technical support for regulatory reform in Indonesia.

Documentary film production of the Foundation’s economic reform works in Sulawesi, particularly on Regulation Impact Assessment Initiative, Business Licensing Reform, and Barriers to Domestic Trade.

Support to the Presidential Management Staff to update key stakeholders on the status of the President’s priority infrastructure projects in Mindanao.

KATALYST local economic governance program to strengthen the private sector in rural Bangladesh by enhancing the capacity of business associations (samities) to represent member interests and to more effectively engage with public agencies and officials.

Participation in a study tour of private/public partnerships in the Philippines.

Small business recapitalization program to provide grants to small business owners to
strengthen their businesses.

Research, policy studies, and public discussions on the electric power sector.

Research, policy studies, and public discussions on property rights.

Assistance to the Ministry of Home Affairs in drafting the Ministerial Decree on One Stop Shops (OSS) and drafting OSS guidelines for local governments. Technical assistance at the national level has provided guidelines that all districts and cities can use, enhancing the replication of OSS in districts and cities that have not received technical assistance from donor organizations. Completion of a study on government procurement processes. This study provides insights into the role of corruption in procurement and how this problem is currently being tackled by local governments in Indonesia, while also examining the role the Foundation can play in procurement reform.

Small business recapitalization program to provide grants to small business owners to
strengthen their businesses; Participation in a study tour of private/public partnerships in
the Philippines.

Participation in a study tour of private/public partnerships in the Philippines.

Organization of the Provincial Round Table series, aimed at providing a policy dialogue
forum for district/city governments, provincial governments, and local businesses. The
objective of the dialogue series is to facilitate communication between provincial and
district/city governments on investment climate issues.

Support for “Strengthening the capacity of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in
Advocacy,” an analysis of the demand for business environment information and development of information boards.

Dissemination of the results of the Provincial Business Environment Scorecard to policy
makers; Series of four workshops to be held in 2008 on "The Role of the Cambodian Parliament in Economic Reforms for an Improved Business Environment."

Development of a baseline survey for the One Stop Shop (OSS) program; Methodology for
mapping local business regulations for the OSS and Regulatory Impact Assessment programs. The baseline data allows the Foundation to measure progress and outputs resulting from technical assistance in various sites in Indonesia.

Technical and logistical support for activities within the Maritime and Infrastructure components.

Research, policy studies, and public discussions on air transport; Support to conduct interviews of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) organizations based in Hongkong.

Support for the participation in the Air and Space Law Workshop and Contemporary Issues in Air and Space Law Conference in Macau.

Support for participation in the Low Cost Carrier Congress conference in Singapore; Support  for participation in the Asia Pacific Aviation Summit in Australia; Support for participation in the Air and Space Law Workshop and Contemporary Issues in Air and Space Law Conference in Macau.

Development of a tourism plan for Kurunegala District; Preparation of maps of physical and
social assets for improved local government planning.

Support for a community participation pilot project--implemented in cooperation with the
Nanhai Environmental Protection Bureau, selected electroplating enterprises, and community leaders in Nanhai--with the goal of reducing the quantity of copper, nickel, chrome and other heavy metals discharged to the Pearl River; study tour to the Philippines to observe community participation in environmental protection programs; study tour of electroplating enterprises in Guangdong to observe best practices in clean production.

Support to enhance economic and social opportunities for migrant workers in Beijing by
developing a new migrant workers asset-building education model with a focus on establishing and developing small businesses through a “Social Innovation Fund.”

Assessment report on information technology (IT) opportunities for One Stop Shops (OSS) in Yogyakarta; Development and installation of an IT system for an OSS in Bantul, Yogyakarta. The IT system will further expedite business license application processing and ease
tracking by applicants, leading to increased transparency and efficiency in business
licensing in Indonesia.

Participation in a study tour of private/public partnerships in the Philippines.

Participation of Hambantota Chamber President in the World Chamber Congress in Istanbul,
Turkey.

Implementation of a survey on domestic transportation in Indonesia which tracks
infrastructure cost components, the regulatory environment, and the cost of road charges for
the trucking industry in Indonesia.  This study will inform the Foundation’s future
programming in the areas of regulatory reform and anti-corruption initiatives.

Support for development of national policy for enterprise development.

Conduct in-depth research of the economic capacity and potential of the Mekong delta region; Formulate recommendations on regional strategies as well as practical local solutions to generate income and employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups in the region;
Disseminate findings to policy makers and the wider public via the Internet and media
outlets. 

Conduct series of demand-driven provincial reform activities in Tay Ninh and Hai Duong
provinces to improve provincial economic governance (i.e. development of a business portal, compilation of tax registration and declaration manuals for SMEs); Capacity building for provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centers and organization of policy dialogues with provincial leaderships to develop a broader reform agenda.

Research project to determine the impact of the National Competitiveness Council’s Action Agenda on the Philippine ranking in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index.

Support for development of national policy for enterprise development.

Seminar series and talk shows to encourage women in Sulawesi to register their businesses;
Improvement of the organizational and advocacy capacity of SME associations, including the
women’s small business association in Sulawesi. Increased formalization allows women’s
businesses to access credit and markets.

Research on the impact of the security environment on business activity in the Eastern
Province.

Conduct a study on policies and incentives of the decentralization process in Vietnam with a
focus on investment law; Research and analysis of the provincial budget structure aimed at
improving understanding of the leadership incentives to undertake reform programs.

Develop Transformation in Governance and Economic Reform (TIGER) program;
Formulate a technical working group consisting of national experts in several areas (e.g.,
general governance, law, land management, public finance, planning, etc.); Develop TIGER diagnostic tools for implementation in pilot provinces taking into account international best practices.

Participation in a study tour of private/public partnerships in the Philippines.

Participation in a study tour of private/public partnerships in the Philippines.

Development of a new investment climate survey methodology, with assistance from AC Nielsen, focusing on economic governance; Implementation of this survey in half of all districts in Indonesia.  The 2007 survey will poll 12,000 businesses in 243 cities and regencies, making it one of the largest in the world. The aim of the survey is to promote competition among local governments to create a more favorable investment climate, eradicate corruption and improve public services.

Workshop series to strengthen the parliament’s engagement in domestic economy policy-making.

Support provincial multi-sector business associations and help them to build a collective
position on issues affecting rural micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Research on “Building Partnership with the Public Sector;” and workshop entitled, “WTO
Three Years Later: An Assessment of Progress Made in Terms of Policy Reforms.”

Data collection for the 2007 Economic Governance Index, a measure of the business
environment in municipalities and urban areas of Sri Lanka.

Small business recapitalization program to provide grants to small business owners to
strengthen their businesses; Participation in a study tour of local government in the Philiippines.

Continued development of the Third Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), which
measures provincial performance in economic governance; Conduct provincial diagnostics to
analyze the strengths and weaknesses of provinces in order to improve PCI rankings.

Supported the development of the Vietnamese prviate sector to accelerate the country's transition to a market-based economy. The Foundation provided technical and managerial leadership for the Provincial Policy Reform Portfolio, under which the pioneering Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) was implemented.