The Asia Foundation

In Bahasa: The 4th Indonesia Rapid Decentralization Appraisal (IRDA) was conducted by the Foundation with our Indonesian partners to scrutinize standards of public service across Indonesia. Following the completion of the latest stage of...

In Bahasa: The 4th Indonesia Rapid Decentralization Appraisal (IRDA) was conducted by the Foundation with our Indonesian partners to scrutinize standards of public service across Indonesia. Following the completion of the latest stage of this unprecedented longitudinal examination of decentralization, the Foundation and our partners have been able to diagnose problems with precision and, more important, put forward nuanced remedies that are applicable to the highly varied conditions across this enormously complex country.

Findings of the fifth Indonesia Rapid Decentralization Appraisal (IRDA) conducted between January 2004 and July 2004. The purpose of IRDA has been to monitor and assess Indonesia's ambitious program of decentralization of fiscal and political...

Findings of the fifth Indonesia Rapid Decentralization Appraisal (IRDA) conducted between January 2004 and July 2004. The purpose of IRDA has been to monitor and assess Indonesia's ambitious program of decentralization of fiscal and political responsibilities. IRDA provides a snapshot of the pace and progress of decentralization from the perspective of local stakeholders, and brings their views to the attention of policy makers at all levels of government.

In Bahasa: Findings of the fifth Indonesia Rapid Decentralization Appraisal (IRDA) conducted between January 2004 and July 2004. The purpose of IRDA has been to monitor and assess Indonesia's ambitious program of decentralization of fiscal...

In Bahasa: Findings of the fifth Indonesia Rapid Decentralization Appraisal (IRDA) conducted between January 2004 and July 2004. The purpose of IRDA has been to monitor and assess Indonesia's ambitious program of decentralization of fiscal and political responsibilities. IRDA provides a snapshot of the pace and progress of decentralization from the perspective of local stakeholders, and brings their views to the attention of policy makers at all levels of government.

Financial Management Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Financial Management. Each module kit contains...

Financial Management Training Modules: This series of four training modules is designed to provide the teaching and learning materials for training modules for LA officials in Financial Management. Each module kit contains printed resource material for trainers and participants, visual-aid material for trainers (such as power-point presentations on CD), learning exercises and simulations for trainers to use in workshops, and relevant computer software applications (such as Excel spreadsheets, on CD), to support a two-day workshop. Each module is available separately in Sinhala and Tamil from The Asia Foundation and the Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance (SLILG).

• Module 1 – Financial Reporting and Cash Management
• Module 2 – Revenue Enhancement
• Module 3 – Grant Management and Donor Relations
• Module 4 – Office Management

The Asia Foundation supported the establishment and construction of the first women’s shelter in the Lao PDR—opening in January 2006—to serve the needs of victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. The establishment...

The Asia Foundation supported the establishment and construction of the first women’s shelter in the Lao PDR—opening in January 2006—to serve the needs of victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. The establishment of the shelter, a direct result of growing awareness of these problems in Laos and the passage of the 2004 Development and Protection of Women Act, was made possible by the dedicated work of the Lao Women’s Union (LWU), which has been supported by the Foundation for more than a decade.

Supporting Flood Relief, Recovery, and Resilience Measures

In October 2011, Thailand faced its most severe flooding in half a century. An especially long and heavy monsoon season caused flooding from Bangkok's Chao...

Supporting Flood Relief, Recovery, and Resilience Measures

In October 2011, Thailand faced its most severe flooding in half a century. An especially long and heavy monsoon season caused flooding from Bangkok's Chao Phraya River and several other neighboring river systems. Decades of inadequate planning and water resources management, as well as pressure from rapid urban growth, compromised the efficacy of both natural and built drainage courses from Bangkok to the Gulf of Thailand.

Occasional Paper No. 4, October 2010

To examine the critical issues surrounding the global challenge of food security, The Asia Foundation joined with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),...

Occasional Paper No. 4, October 2010

To examine the critical issues surrounding the global challenge of food security, The Asia Foundation joined with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for a major conference, "Food for All: Investment Forum for Food Security in Asia and the Pacific," at the ADB headquarters in Manila from July 7-9, 2010. Douglas Bereuter, president of The Asia Foundation, moderated a key plenary session on "Fostering Food Security Through Regional Cooperation and Integration." Eminent food security economist Peter Timmer laid out the challenges, opportunities, and likely action points for achieving shared food security. We are pleased to reproduce his remarks in this, the fourth in our continuing series of Occasional Papers.

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.

Occasional Paper No. 11, April 2012

Formal and Informal Governance in Afghanistan is one of a series of analytical papers on The Asia Foundation's recently released public-opinion survey, Afghanistan in 2011: A Survey of...

Mongolia is experiencing unprecedented growth and change, fueled by revenues from mining. Although the country's transition to democracy has been relatively smooth, citizen satisfaction is low. The concentration of economic opportunity in the...

Mongolia is experiencing unprecedented growth and change, fueled by revenues from mining. Although the country's transition to democracy has been relatively smooth, citizen satisfaction is low. The concentration of economic opportunity in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, has created a huge urban migration, with nearly 50 percent of Mongolians now living in the capital. Meeting the needs of recent arrivals in Ulaanbaatar and creating economic opportunities in other regional cities will be important if Mongolia is to deliver sustainable, broad-based improvements in the welfare of its population. The government of Mongolia is committed to fostering more responsive and capable local governments to improve citizen satisfaction, recognizing that decentralization often contributes to better development outcomes. Policymakers, led by the office of the president, are therefore pursuing an ambitious agenda to revive Mongolia's decentralization process.

Improving the responsiveness, accountability, and transparency of governance is now accepted as vital to the achievement of improved standards of living and opportunities in developing countries. The heightened attention in recent years to...

Improving the responsiveness, accountability, and transparency of governance is now accepted as vital to the achievement of improved standards of living and opportunities in developing countries. The heightened attention in recent years to good governance has logically led to a greater focus on the way in which budgets are formulated, implemented, and monitored. This publication is intended as a reference for local governments, civil society groups, and nongovernment organizations seeking to apply consultative budgeting methods.

The Asia Foundation supported the establishment and construction of the first women’s shelter in the Lao PDR—opening in January 2006—to serve the needs of victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. The establishment...

The Asia Foundation supported the establishment and construction of the first women’s shelter in the Lao PDR—opening in January 2006—to serve the needs of victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. The establishment of the shelter, a direct result of growing awareness of these problems in Laos and the passage of the 2004 Development and Protection of Women Act, was made possible by the dedicated work of the Lao Women’s Union (LWU), which has been supported by the Foundation for more than a decade.

Mongolian version

The Asia Foundation supported the establishment and construction of the first women’s shelter in the Lao PDR—opening in January 2006—to serve the needs of victims of human trafficking and domestic...

Mongolian version

The Asia Foundation supported the establishment and construction of the first women’s shelter in the Lao PDR—opening in January 2006—to serve the needs of victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. The establishment of the shelter, a direct result of growing awareness of these problems in Laos and the passage of the 2004 Development and Protection of Women Act, was made possible by the dedicated work of the Lao Women’s Union (LWU), which has been supported by the Foundation for more than a decade.

Occasional Paper No. 3, September 2010

This paper sketches out the operational features of emerging political economy-based approaches to sectoral economic policy reform. Section 1 traces some of the literature on the political...

Occasional Paper No. 3, September 2010

This paper sketches out the operational features of emerging political economy-based approaches to sectoral economic policy reform. Section 1 traces some of the literature on the political economy analysis of reforms. Section 2 outlines the international development community’s increasing recognition of the political economy aspects of economic governance, and their efforts to undertake sharper political economy analysis of reform challenges. Finally, in Section 3 the paper identifies elements of operational reform approaches that move beyond disengaged political economy analysis towards on-the-ground implementation of political strategies in policy reform processes.

V. Bruce J. Tolentino, Director, Economic Reform and Development, The Asia Foundation

Front matter for Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality: Economic Policy Reform in the Philippines, a volume of case studies on Philippine economic policy reform that contributes to the discourse on institutional change to create a...

Front matter for Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality: Economic Policy Reform in the Philippines, a volume of case studies on Philippine economic policy reform that contributes to the discourse on institutional change to create a better understanding of how human actors engender change.

This publication is made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).