The Asia Foundation

In this issue: "National Geographic and Dr. Sakena Yacoobi Honored at Lotus Awards," "Visionary NGO Leader Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of BRAC is Asia Foundation Fellow," "Asia Foundation at Google's Big Tent on Open Data and Disaster Preparedness,"...

In this issue: "National Geographic and Dr. Sakena Yacoobi Honored at Lotus Awards," "Visionary NGO Leader Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of BRAC is Asia Foundation Fellow," "Asia Foundation at Google's Big Tent on Open Data and Disaster Preparedness," "Renowned Philanthropist Dr. Chong-Moon Lee Launches New Projects to Combat Human Trafficking," "Luce Scholars Report for Assignments in Asia," "Multimedia," "Briefly Noted," "Rockefeller Foundation Supports Post-Flood Recovery and Environment Initiative in Thailand."

A Case Study of Bangladesh

Occasional Paper No. 1, July 2010

In the midst of the recent financial and economic crisis, factory owners in Bangladesh showed remarkable confidence in the future of their industry in Bangladesh....

A Case Study of Bangladesh

Occasional Paper No. 1, July 2010

In the midst of the recent financial and economic crisis, factory owners in Bangladesh showed remarkable confidence in the future of their industry in Bangladesh. But, if the country wants to expand and remain competitive, this paper finds, it will need to make investments in human capital and technology, rather than just reduce input costs. The paper offers policy recommendations to improve efficiency at the factory level and suggests reforms to the business environment that could provide an overall boost to the economy as a whole. Research for this paper included extensive interviews with factory workers and government officials, and seven focus-group discussions with 33 factory workers.

Dr. Sanchita Banerjee Saxena, Associate Director, Center for South Asia Studies, University of California, Berkeley, Véronique Salze-Lozac'h, Regional Director for Economic Programs, The Asia Foundation

Paper presented at a conference on "The Influence of Media on U.S.-Korea Relations and Future of the Korean Peninsula," The Asia Foundation, Seoul, June 28, 2010.  The initial version of this paper was presented at a workshop on...

Paper presented at a conference on "The Influence of Media on U.S.-Korea Relations and Future of the Korean Peninsula," The Asia Foundation, Seoul, June 28, 2010.  The initial version of this paper was presented at a workshop on "Influence and Role of Domestic Stakeholders on the U.S.-ROK Alliance," Center for U.S.-Korea Policy and East Asia Institute, Seoul, Korea, February 22, 2010.

Presentation at the Center for U.S.-Korea Policy’s “U.S.-ROK Workshop on Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Nonproliferation” held in collaboration with The Stimson Center and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, July 21-22, 2010,...

Presentation at the Center for U.S.-Korea Policy’s “U.S.-ROK Workshop on Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Nonproliferation” held in collaboration with The Stimson Center and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, July 21-22, 2010, Daejeon, Korea.

The 2008 PCI survey is the largest and most comprehensive assessment and ranking of the performance of provincial governments based on the views expressed by over 7,820 domestic entrepreneurs and managers from firms across Vietnam’s 64...

The 2008 PCI survey is the largest and most comprehensive assessment and ranking of the performance of provincial governments based on the views expressed by over 7,820 domestic entrepreneurs and managers from firms across Vietnam’s 64 provinces. Every year, this highly anticipated survey gauges the impact of economic and administrative reforms at both the provincial and national levels and guides the decisions of Vietnam’s policymakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs.

The Asia Foundation's second national survey of 1,500 Thai citizens explores the depth of color divisions in contemporary Thailand; key topics include the state of democracy in Thailand, elections, conflict and security, and options for...

The Asia Foundation's second national survey of 1,500 Thai citizens explores the depth of color divisions in contemporary Thailand; key topics include the state of democracy in Thailand, elections, conflict and security, and options for reconciliation.

In late 2010 The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka commissioned a public perceptions survey that aimed to capture the post-war mood of the nation. The survey sought to gauge public opinion about the overall direction of the country, the economy,...

In late 2010 The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka commissioned a public perceptions survey that aimed to capture the post-war mood of the nation. The survey sought to gauge public opinion about the overall direction of the country, the economy, public institutions, the central government, and local conditions.

The Asia Foundation has maintained a resident office and country program in Bangladesh continuously since 1954. In 2004, the Foundation celebrates its 50th Anniversary. For five decades, the Foundation has played a unique and unparalleled role...

The Asia Foundation has maintained a resident office and country program in Bangladesh continuously since 1954. In 2004, the Foundation celebrates its 50th Anniversary. For five decades, the Foundation has played a unique and unparalleled role as a responsive and trusted partner in the Asia-Pacific region and in working to advance constructive relations between the nations and peoples of the region.

51 Signatories agree to a Definition of Responsible Mining that will advance national objectives for the benefit of all Mongolians On April 4th, 51 signatories representing the public, private and non-governmental sectors met at the fourth...

51 Signatories agree to a Definition of Responsible Mining that will advance national objectives for the benefit of all Mongolians On April 4th, 51 signatories representing the public, private and non-governmental sectors met at the fourth Multi-stakeholder meeting and pledged support for a definition of Responsible Mining and eight underlying principles. The definition and principles establish a foundation for future collaboration and cooperation that engages diverse interests in a process that will advance national objectives. The process by which the definition and principles were developed was spearheaded by a working group comprising government, private and non-governmental sector representatives that began meeting in late 2006 following the first of the Multi-stakeholder meetings.              

This handbook is intended to provide international election observers in Thailand with all the information needed to effectively observe and report on the voting and counting processes on election day. It also includes suggestions for...

This handbook is intended to provide international election observers in Thailand with all the information needed to effectively observe and report on the voting and counting processes on election day. It also includes suggestions for pre-election and campaign monitoring to help assess the overall electoral environment.

This guide has been developed to help civil society groups understand and analyze government budgets as a first step towards engaging in such dialogue. The guide can be used to facilitate budget literacy trainings and to help civil society...

This guide has been developed to help civil society groups understand and analyze government budgets as a first step towards engaging in such dialogue. The guide can be used to facilitate budget literacy trainings and to help civil society organizations engage in budget analysis on their own following training. It may also be useful to new parliamentarians, who often are not given formal budget training, despite their responsibility to enact the budget in most countries. While basic information on budgets is covered, this guide has been specifically modified for consideration of the tehsil level budget in Pakistan. This manual does not cover analysis of other local government budgets (such as union or district), nor does it include analysis of provincial and national budgets.

In 2005, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with Center for Human Rights and Development, began to define the origins of trafficking by documenting a series of trafficking case studies through interviews with victims of trafficking and human...

In 2005, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with Center for Human Rights and Development, began to define the origins of trafficking by documenting a series of trafficking case studies through interviews with victims of trafficking and human rights lawyers and law enforcement officials. The Foundation is now developing an anti-trafficking benchmarking tool to identify the incidence of trafficking within, to, and from Mongolia. The first benchmarking study will be completed by August 2006.

In 2005, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with Center for Human Rights and Development, began to define the origins of trafficking by documenting a series of trafficking case studies through interviews with victims of trafficking and human...

In 2005, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with Center for Human Rights and Development, began to define the origins of trafficking by documenting a series of trafficking case studies through interviews with victims of trafficking and human rights lawyers and law enforcement officials. The Foundation is now developing an anti-trafficking benchmarking tool to identify the incidence of trafficking within, to, and from Mongolia. The first benchmarking study will be completed by August 2006.

Occasional Paper No. 5, March 2011

A review of the basic theoretical and programmatic rationale for the series of Economic Governance Indices (EGIs) conducted by The Asia Foundation in countries throughout South and Southeast Asia,...

Occasional Paper No. 5, March 2011

A review of the basic theoretical and programmatic rationale for the series of Economic Governance Indices (EGIs) conducted by The Asia Foundation in countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

Abstract of paper for a Center for U.S.-Korea Policy-Brookings seminar, "Expanding the Agenda for Cooperation between the United States and Republic of Korea," January 5, 2010, Washington DC. Event details are available

Abstract of paper for a Center for U.S.-Korea Policy-Brookings seminar, "Expanding the Agenda for Cooperation between the United States and Republic of Korea," January 5, 2010, Washington DC. Event details are available here.

The Government of Nepal is strongly committed to promoting gender equality, ending gender-based violence (GBV), and advancing programs that enhance women's empowerment. In line with this commitment, the Gender Empowerment Coordination Unit...

The Government of Nepal is strongly committed to promoting gender equality, ending gender-based violence (GBV), and advancing programs that enhance women's empowerment. In line with this commitment, the Gender Empowerment Coordination Unit (GECU) at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) oversees and coordinates the Government of Nepal's efforts to address gender-related challenges. The National Strategy and Plan of Action on Gender Empowerment and Ending GBV 2012-2017 is one of the key policy instruments currently being used the the government. This study report examines the current situation, changes, trends, and achievements in the areas of violence against women as a sub-category of GBV in six districts representing the easter, central, western, and far western development regions of Nepal.

Between August and September of 2008, The Asia Foundation conducted the first nationwide community-police perceptions survey in Timor-Leste. The aim of this survey was to gather first-hand opinion of a large sample of Timorese citizens,...

Between August and September of 2008, The Asia Foundation conducted the first nationwide community-police perceptions survey in Timor-Leste. The aim of this survey was to gather first-hand opinion of a large sample of Timorese citizens, community leaders, and members of the PNTL on a variety of contemporary local security and police-related issues so that the information generated is useful for policy makers and opinion shapers in government, the international community, and the broader Timorese public.