The Asia Foundation

In this issue: "Asia Foundation Hosts Australia's Foreign Minister in San Francisco," "Economist Cheng Siwei Is Asia Foundation Chang-Lin Tien Fellow, "David D. Arnold at The Economist's Banyan Conference," "2011 Survey of the Afghan People...

In this issue: "Asia Foundation Hosts Australia's Foreign Minister in San Francisco," "Economist Cheng Siwei Is Asia Foundation Chang-Lin Tien Fellow, "David D. Arnold at The Economist's Banyan Conference," "2011 Survey of the Afghan People Released in Kabul, Washington, New York, and London," "APEC 2011: Unleashing Women's Entrepreneurship in Asia," "Briefly Noted," "Featured Multimedia," "Remembering Robert Scalapino," and "A Luce Scholar Reconnects as Program Wraps Up 37th Year."

Occasional Paper No. 10, January 2012

This paper explores the use of participatory action research as a method to deepen the practice of mediation at the village level in rural Nepal. Mediation, initially introduced with a strong...

Occasional Paper No. 10, January 2012

This paper explores the use of participatory action research as a method to deepen the practice of mediation at the village level in rural Nepal. Mediation, initially introduced with a strong Western orientation, has evolved through practice and the response to daily conflict during and after the civil war. At its inception, the program was framed as an "access to justice" initiative. Conducted with district and village-level mediators and trainers, the research yielded important insights into how and why mediation practices were effective, and led to significant changes in training materials and approach.

A report on findings from the implementation of the Support for Local Governance, Elections, and Civil Society in Timor Leste (GEC) project funded by USAID. The GEC project addressed capacity building efforts of 148 suco councils, or...

A report on findings from the implementation of the Support for Local Governance, Elections, and Civil Society in Timor Leste (GEC) project funded by USAID. The GEC project addressed capacity building efforts of 148 suco councils, or village-level government units of Timor-Leste, in the four districts of Oecusse, Bobonaro, Ainaro, and Baucau over a period of three years.

A brief handout on Promoting Democratic Institutions and Practices (PRODIP). PRODIP is a five-year, $23.2 million program funded by the United States Agency for International Development. It is being implemented by The Asia Foundation in...

A brief handout on Promoting Democratic Institutions and Practices (PRODIP). PRODIP is a five-year, $23.2 million program funded by the United States Agency for International Development. It is being implemented by The Asia Foundation in partnership with the State University of New York Center for International Development (SUNY-CID). PRODIP is designed to improve the effectiveness and transparency of the parliament, while also increasing the constructive participation of civil society in the public policymaking and legislative process.

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...

Occasional Paper No. 12, May 2012

This paper introduces development entrepreneurship, a model to assist development agencies and practitioners introduce transformative institutional change that significantly improves the lives of...

Occasional Paper No. 12, May 2012

This paper introduces development entrepreneurship, a model to assist development agencies and practitioners introduce transformative institutional change that significantly improves the lives of millions of people. Development entrepreneurship combines the technical and political dimensions of reform to uncover the principles to finding "technically sound, politically possible" reforms.

Occasional Paper No. 13, April 2012

This paper begins with descriptions of some of the critical challenges to democratization in Bangladesh. While electoral challenges are included, the paper seeks to look beyond elections and describe...

Occasional Paper No. 13, April 2012

This paper begins with descriptions of some of the critical challenges to democratization in Bangladesh. While electoral challenges are included, the paper seeks to look beyond elections and describe other factors that can have a profound impact on the quality and quantity of democracy experienced by the average person. The second section examines potential approaches to addressing these challenges.

Since the 1990s, The Asia Foundation has supported programs aimed at accelerating the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by civil society, government, and the private sector. Certain advances in ICT – such as the...

Since the 1990s, The Asia Foundation has supported programs aimed at accelerating the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by civil society, government, and the private sector. Certain advances in ICT – such as the pervasive adoption of mobile telephones and the rapid spread of internet connectivity – have dramatically increased the speed of information processing, as well as the ease, frequency, and quality of communications in the developing world.

Occasional Paper No. 14, June 2012

The Prospects of Economic Development 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 the...

Occasional Paper No. 14, June 2012

The Prospects of Economic Development 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 the Afghan People. The series of essays provide detailed analysis of the survey data on the opinions and perceptions of Afghans toward government, public policy, democracy, and political and social change as interpreted by specialists who have in-depth knowledge of the region. This paper provides detailed analysis of the survey data on economic development and the role of government in Afghanistan.