The Asia Foundation

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.

The Mongolian economy is growing at an unprecedented rate. Sustained economic growth is boosting gross domestic product (GDP), supporting job creation, reducing poverty levels, and allowing the economy to expand into new fields. Despite these...

The Mongolian economy is growing at an unprecedented rate. Sustained economic growth is boosting gross domestic product (GDP), supporting job creation, reducing poverty levels, and allowing the economy to expand into new fields. Despite these impressive successes, there have been persistent reports in the media about the existence of corrupt practices. These reports often relate to government employees asking businessmen for non-stipulated fees in return for services, for example, to process or expedite obtaining permits and documents, such as licenses, needed by business to operate. Until now, there has been no data about the pervasiveness of corrupt practices affecting business-government relations in Mongolia. The Study of Private Perceptions of Corruption (STOPP) was designed to obtain a picture of the extent of corruption, based on the experience of members of the business community. Interviewing representatives of small, medium, and large sized business enterprises, this study captures the similarities and differences companies face in relation to corrupt practices, breaking down the findings by sector.

The Asia Foundation's Women's Empowerment Program works closely with our local partners to address these challenges and ensure that women can be a key contributor to development in China. The program advances women's empowerment through...

The Asia Foundation's Women's Empowerment Program works closely with our local partners to address these challenges and ensure that women can be a key contributor to development in China. The program advances women's empowerment through education, increasing economic security, mitigating the effects of natural disasters, and helping women access their legal rights.

The Books for Asia program provides U.S-published English-language educational and reference materials, such as books, software, and other educational supplements on a wide variety of subjects. These educational materials are provided to...

The Books for Asia program provides U.S-published English-language educational and reference materials, such as books, software, and other educational supplements on a wide variety of subjects. These educational materials are provided to schools, libraries, and non-profit research centers in Mongolia. The program encourages the free exchange of ideas by supplying materials in all fields of knowledge, thereby strengthening institutional resources for education and research.

Despite recent improvements in the country's economy, gender inequality in Mongolia persists. Through our Women's Empowerment Program, The Asia Foundation works to advance women's rights, increase women's economic opportunities, and address...

Despite recent improvements in the country's economy, gender inequality in Mongolia persists. Through our Women's Empowerment Program, The Asia Foundation works to advance women's rights, increase women's economic opportunities, and address the challenges that hinder women's full participation in society.

Mongolia's past two decades of rapid political, economic, and social change have resulted in a strong democratic foundation and high rates of mineral-driven economic growth. However, Mongolia still faces many governance challenges, including...

Mongolia's past two decades of rapid political, economic, and social change have resulted in a strong democratic foundation and high rates of mineral-driven economic growth. However, Mongolia still faces many governance challenges, including weak administrative processes, a lack of transparency and accountability, and corruption. Conflicts of interest are common as politics and economic interests are often intertwined.

In July 2011, Mongolia assumed the Presidency of the Community of Democracies (CoD) from Lithuania. Mongolia's priorities for its two-year term include education for democracy, strengthening regional cooperation, exchange of experiences,...

In July 2011, Mongolia assumed the Presidency of the Community of Democracies (CoD) from Lithuania. Mongolia's priorities for its two-year term include education for democracy, strengthening regional cooperation, exchange of experiences, collaboration with civil society, advancing women's empowerment and countering corruption. The Asia Foundation is supporting Mongolia in its efforts to make the CoD a more operational and action-oriented body.

As Mongolia moves into a new phase of its development, driven predominantly by rapid economic growth in the extractive industries, it faces a number of significant challenges. Rapid rates of urbanization are leading to an increasingly...

As Mongolia moves into a new phase of its development, driven predominantly by rapid economic growth in the extractive industries, it faces a number of significant challenges. Rapid rates of urbanization are leading to an increasingly overwhelming concentration of the population in urban centers, especially Ulaanbaatar.  As a result of this rapid population growth, more than half the area of Ulaanbaatar today consists of unplanned settlements called ger districts, which house more than half of the city's residents and nearly 25 percent of Mongolia's total population. The Asia Foundation has been working to support improvements in the ger districts for a number of years.

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.

As mining grows in importance to Mongolia's economy, local communities and the environment will increasingly feel the impact. Effective government institutions and citizen participation in local resource decisions will be imperative. Since...

As mining grows in importance to Mongolia's economy, local communities and the environment will increasingly feel the impact. Effective government institutions and citizen participation in local resource decisions will be imperative. Since 2006, The Asia Foundation has promoted responsible mining in Mongolia by supporting collaboration between industry, government and civil society.

An announcement of a competitive grant for a research period of approximately five months in China to an assistant professor on the tenure track at an American university. To apply, please see view the

An announcement of a competitive grant for a research period of approximately five months in China to an assistant professor on the tenure track at an American university. To apply, please see view the application here.

Applications should be submitted to: James Grant, Program Assistant, Asian American Exchange, The Asia Foundation, Tel: (415) 743-3303; E-mail: jgrant@asiafound.org.

The Asia Foundation will award a competitive grant for a research period of approximately five months in China to an assistant professor on the tenure track at an American university. For more information, please see the

The Asia Foundation will award a competitive grant for a research period of approximately five months in China to an assistant professor on the tenure track at an American university. For more information, please see the handout here.

Applications should be submitted to: James Grant, Program Assistant, Asian American Exchange, The Asia Foundation, Tel: (415) 743-3303; E-mail: jgrant@asiafound.org.

February 2013

Over the past decade, community-­based development (CBD) programs have become among the most common and widely-­accepted methods for providing assistance to conflict-­affected regions. These trends partly...

February 2013

Over the past decade, community-­based development (CBD) programs have become among the most common and widely-­accepted methods for providing assistance to conflict-­affected regions. These trends partly reflect an increased sensitivity to conflict dynamics and a commitment to extend the benefits of development to conflict-­affected communities in order to help them rebuild infrastructure and improve livelihoods. In the Philippines, the government has adopted CBD as a core component of its strategy to address internal armed conflict, and nearly all of the major international development partners are implementing some form of CBD programming to support conflict-­affected communities. Community-­based development refers to a broad spectrum of development program approaches that channel the benefits of aid directly to the community level and often (though not all cases) prioritize participation and ownership by community members in program implementation. This study was undertaken to provide some clarity and guidance on CBD in conflict-­affected areas.

Water governance throughout South Asia has long been dominated by technical perspectives from civil engineering, economics, and international law. Across the region, state actors, scientists, and technocrats have monopolized policy formulation...

Water governance throughout South Asia has long been dominated by technical perspectives from civil engineering, economics, and international law. Across the region, state actors, scientists, and technocrats have monopolized policy formulation and implementation providing limited space for the expression of legitimate civil society voices and stakeholder interests. In this largely state driven discourse, broader social and ecological perspectives have been underrepresented. Bringing the discourse on water use, sharing, and management closer to affected communities and stakeholders can help to reduce environmental degradation and thereby the potential for conflict.

In May 2012, with support from the Skoll Global Threats Fund, The Asia Foundation (TAF) in partnership with civil society organizations in India and Bangladesh began a political economy analysis of the Teesta River Basin. To try and unpack the interests around water governance in the Teesta Basin, the analysis sought to identify and map key actors and stakeholders in the basin, their incentives, relative stakes, and their ability to influence water governance decisions in the basin. The analysis highlights five distinct political economy features of water negotiations and governance in the Teesta River Basin: Seeing like a state; legitimate stakeholders and actors excluded from the table; legitimate interests excluded from the table; weak articulation of stakeholder interests; and, state control of data and information.

The Mongolian economy is growing at an unprecedented rate. Sustained economic growth is boosting gross domestic product (GDP), supporting job creation, reducing poverty levels, and allowing the economy to expand into new...

The Mongolian economy is growing at an unprecedented rate. Sustained economic growth is boosting gross domestic product (GDP), supporting job creation, reducing poverty levels, and allowing the economy to expand into new fields. Despite these impressive successes, there have been persistent reports in the media about the existence of corrupt practices. These reports often relate to government employees asking businessmen for non-stipulated fees in return for services, for example, to process or expedite obtaining permits and documents, such as licenses, needed by business to operate. Until now, there has been no data about the pervasiveness of corrupt practices affecting business-government relations in Mongolia. The Study of Private Perceptions of Corruption (STOPP) was designed to obtain a picture of the extent of corruption, based on the experience of members of the business community. Interviewing representatives of small, medium, and large sized business enterprises, this study captures the similarities and differences companies face in relation to corrupt practices, breaking down the findings by sector.

The Asia Foundation's Books for Asia program distributes books and other reading materials for all educational levels to 18 Asian countries. Since its inception in 1954, Books for Asia has provided nearly 45 million books and journals to more...

The Asia Foundation's Books for Asia program distributes books and other reading materials for all educational levels to 18 Asian countries. Since its inception in 1954, Books for Asia has provided nearly 45 million books and journals to more than 50,000 academic and non-academic institutions throughout Asia. In Afghanistan, Books for Asia has donated more than 350,000 books and journals to government agencies, private institutions, and NGOs across the country, supporting national development, international understanding, and English-language literacy.