The Asia Foundation

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, several countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these...

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, several countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these environments are often troubled, and have frequently become the primary cause of prolonged conflict and fragility. Many citizens in conflict-affected and fragile regions have come to see their government as distant, unresponsive, inaccessible, or absent altogether. When citizens perceive states as illegitimate, many will simply avoid contact with their governments, and in some cases support violent challenges to state authority.

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, some countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these...

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, some countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these environments are often troubled, and have frequently become the primary cause of prolonged conflict and fragility. Many citizens in conflict-affected and fragile regions have come to see their government as distant, unresponsive, inaccessible, or absent altogether. When citizens perceive states as illegitimate, many will simply avoid contact with their governments, and in some cases support violent challenges to state authority.

Occasional Paper No. 2, July 2010

The processes of development are fundamentally shaped by powerful political, economic, and security actors in aid-recipient countries. These actors use their influence to shape formal governance...

Occasional Paper No. 2, July 2010

The processes of development are fundamentally shaped by powerful political, economic, and security actors in aid-recipient countries. These actors use their influence to shape formal governance institutions, policies, and the distribution of development assistance to advance their interests. The political settlements framework is an important new approach that may help international development organizations to better understand and respond to this reality and the challenges to developmental progress that is often affected by political dynamics in developing countries. This paper seeks to translate the concepts underlying political settlements into principles, strategies, and guidelines for practical action by donors and other development assistance organizations.

Thomas Parks, Regional Director for Governance and Conflict, The Asia Foundation
William Cole, Senior Director, Governance, Law, and Civil Society Programs & Program Strategy and Development, The Asia Foundation

A report on legal empowerment in Asia, including how legal empowerment is relevant to the development community and can be incorporated into development programs. Features three pilot projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan; and...

A report on legal empowerment in Asia, including how legal empowerment is relevant to the development community and can be incorporated into development programs. Features three pilot projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan; and overview of the Asian Development Bank's technical assistance for legal empowerment; defining and measuring the impact of legal empowerment; and conclusions and recommendations.

The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program is committed to improving the lives and livelihood of women throughout Pakistan. With over 54 years of experience on-the-ground in Pakistan, our programs include initiatives to...

The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program is committed to improving the lives and livelihood of women throughout Pakistan. With over 54 years of experience on-the-ground in Pakistan, our programs include initiatives to encourage women to vote, raise women’s awareness of their rights, and give women the skills to earn an income. The Asia Foundation has just completed a very successful 18-month long program to empower impoverished women in eight provinces in Pakistan. The goal of the project was to train women to use new technologies and understand markets so that they could become successful as entrepreneurs.

The Asia Foundation maintains elections programs, including monitor and voter education, in nine countries in Asia. In recent years, the Foundation has implemented significant elections programs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia,...

The Asia Foundation maintains elections programs, including monitor and voter education, in nine countries in Asia. In recent years, the Foundation has implemented significant elections programs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Timor-Leste.

The Asia Foundation maintains elections programs, including monitor and voter education, in nine countries in Asia. In recent years, the Foundation has implemented significant elections programs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia,...

The Asia Foundation maintains elections programs, including monitor and voter education, in nine countries in Asia. In recent years, the Foundation has implemented significant elections programs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Timor-Leste.

A study, supported by The Asia Foundation, which analyzes economic development in Pakistan in the context of power and institutions in the country. It examines the causes of continuing development challenges, and it identifies seven strategic...

A study, supported by The Asia Foundation, which analyzes economic development in Pakistan in the context of power and institutions in the country. It examines the causes of continuing development challenges, and it identifies seven strategic "Drivers of Change" that could address these root causes for a major impact on development in Pakistan.

The Asia Foundation's Women's Empowerment program opens up economic opportunities for women. Working with local partners, our projects provide women with the full range of tools they need to be productive and profitable, including job training...

The Asia Foundation's Women's Empowerment program opens up economic opportunities for women. Working with local partners, our projects provide women with the full range of tools they need to be productive and profitable, including job training and networking, access to credit, and business management training. Our projects also educate women workers on their rights and help them mobilize to reform discriminatory laws and demand fair and equal treatment in the workplace.

A survey conducted prior to the National and Provincial Assembly elections of 2008 to gauge the knowledge and attitudes of the Pakistani electorate to help identify the most appropriate audiences, locations, form and language for pre-election...

A survey conducted prior to the National and Provincial Assembly elections of 2008 to gauge the knowledge and attitudes of the Pakistani electorate to help identify the most appropriate audiences, locations, form and language for pre-election voter education materials and activities.

Pakistan’s economic and social challenges include rapid population growth, a fragile macroeconomic situation, governance problems, slow progress on poverty reduction, and gender disparities. All of these factors have contributed to poor...

Pakistan’s economic and social challenges include rapid population growth, a fragile macroeconomic situation, governance problems, slow progress on poverty reduction, and gender disparities. All of these factors have contributed to poor health indicators for a large segment of Pakistan’s population, characterized by high maternal and child mortality and morbidity rates. The Asia Foundation promotes participatory, accountable, and transparent governance and strengthening the rule of law, and in Pakistan, this work extends to the health sector.

The Asia Foundation recently won an Asian Development Bank (ADB) grant of $333,000 for Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Marshall Islands to design and implement pilot projects to promote increased public participation in local budget planning...

The Asia Foundation recently won an Asian Development Bank (ADB) grant of $333,000 for Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Marshall Islands to design and implement pilot projects to promote increased public participation in local budget planning through the establishment of citizens’ budget fora. The eight month project seeks to broaden understanding and debate of local budgets so that citizens are more engaged in formulation and oversight of budgets. Lessons learned in the different country contexts will be shared through a final conference and publication.

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.

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.