The Asia Foundation

Mindanao, in the southern Philippines, is home to the country's largest concentration of Muslims. The region suffers from poor infrastructure, poverty, and violence that has claimed more than 120,000 lives in the last four decades. The...

Mindanao, in the southern Philippines, is home to the country's largest concentration of Muslims. The region suffers from poor infrastructure, poverty, and violence that has claimed more than 120,000 lives in the last four decades. The violence and rebellion derive from internal Christian migrations to the region, sectarian clashes, war against Muslim/Islam separatist insurgents, clan feuds, and unfulfilled hopes of peace and economic prosperity.

This new book from The Asia Foundation summarizes the Foundation's experience designing and implementing programs aimed at strengthening economic governance in Asia. Authored by Asia Foundation staff experts V. Bruce. J. Tolentino, Nina...

This new book from The Asia Foundation summarizes the Foundation's experience designing and implementing programs aimed at strengthening economic governance in Asia. Authored by Asia Foundation staff experts V. Bruce. J. Tolentino, Nina Merchant-Vega, Veronique Salze Lozac'h, Maria Belen Bonoan, Jaime Faustino, Hari Kusdaryanto, Frida Rustiani, and Arumaithurai Subakaran.

The first chapter of the new Asia Foundation book Innovations in Strengthening Local Economic Governance in Asia. The book summarizes The Asia Foundation's experience designing and implementing programs aimed at strengthening economic...

The first chapter of the new Asia Foundation book Innovations in Strengthening Local Economic Governance in Asia. The book summarizes The Asia Foundation's experience designing and implementing programs aimed at strengthening economic governance in Asia.

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ASIA FOUNDATION IN INDONESIA, CAMBODIA, VIETNAM, SRI LANKA, AND BANGLADESH

The Asia Foundation’s approach to effective economic governance builds on the knowledge that the engine for sustainable growth is...

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ASIA FOUNDATION IN INDONESIA, CAMBODIA, VIETNAM, SRI LANKA, AND BANGLADESH

The Asia Foundation’s approach to effective economic governance builds on the knowledge that the engine for sustainable growth is the formal and informal MSME sector, the major source of employment for most countries in Asia. However, the growth and job-generation performance of MSMEs are often constrained by a wide spectrum of institutional obstacles. To address the constraints to MSME growth, the Foundation has developed specialized tools to analyze local business environments, measure the quality of local economic governance, assess progress through a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators, and support policy reforms. Local Economic Governance Indexes (EGIs), developed in collaboration with local and international partners, are one of these tools.

11x17 version.

The Asia Foundation’s approach to effective economic governance builds on the knowledge that the engine for sustainable growth is the formal and informal MSME sector, the major source of employment for most...

11x17 version.

The Asia Foundation’s approach to effective economic governance builds on the knowledge that the engine for sustainable growth is the formal and informal MSME sector, the major source of employment for most countries in Asia. However, the growth and job-generation performance of MSMEs are often constrained by a wide spectrum of institutional obstacles. To address the constraints to MSME growth, the Foundation has developed specialized tools to analyze local business environments, measure the quality of local economic governance, assess progress through a set of quantitative and qualitative indicators, and support policy reforms. Local Economic Governance Indexes (EGIs), developed in collaboration with local and international partners, are one of these tools.

This paper utilizes a unique dataset of 500 firms in ten Cambodian provinces and a natural experiment to rigorously test one of the most important propositions in political economy; that the predictability of a corruption is more important for...

This paper utilizes a unique dataset of 500 firms in ten Cambodian provinces and a natural experiment to rigorously test one of the most important propositions in political economy; that the predictability of a corruption is more important for firm investment decisions than the amount of bribes a firm must pay, provided the bribes are not prohibitively expensive. We find persuasive evidence that this hypothesis is correct.

Cambodia, where the Provincial Business Environment Scorecard (PBES) was first implemented in 2006, and Sri Lanka where the first Economic Governance Index (EGI-SL) was conducted in 2007, are the two most recent additions to the LEGIs...

Cambodia, where the Provincial Business Environment Scorecard (PBES) was first implemented in 2006, and Sri Lanka where the first Economic Governance Index (EGI-SL) was conducted in 2007, are the two most recent additions to the LEGIs developed by The Asia Foundation and its partners.  These two indexes, based on the experience of The Asia Foundation in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, had to be adapted to the specific economic and administrative context of Cambodia and Sri Lanka.  They have, however, the same objectives:
• Providing updated information to the private sector about the business environment in their area, and thus creating a demand for an improved business environment.
• Creating a frame of reference for local leaders and public officials as they seek to improve policies and economic governance practices in their area.
• Stimulating a proactive and competitive process involving all relevant stakeholders in their efforts to offer a more supportive business environment.

Indonesia's "big bang" decentralization in 2001 shifted much of the responsibility for local economic development to now more than 400 district governments. But the performance of these districts has varied widely. This paper attempts to...

Indonesia's "big bang" decentralization in 2001 shifted much of the responsibility for local economic development to now more than 400 district governments. But the performance of these districts has varied widely. This paper attempts to understand the determinants of sub-national (district) growth in Indonesia and map how these determinants have changed since prior to the crisis.

MENDUKUNG PRAKARSA REFORMASI EKONOMI DI INDONESIA

Prakarsa Reformasi Ekonomi ini dilaksanakan Asia Foundation memanfaatkan jaringannya yang luas dengan lembaga-lembaga pemerintah dan mitra organisasi lokal yang bergerak di bidang...

MENDUKUNG PRAKARSA REFORMASI EKONOMI DI INDONESIA

Prakarsa Reformasi Ekonomi ini dilaksanakan Asia Foundation memanfaatkan jaringannya yang luas dengan lembaga-lembaga pemerintah dan mitra organisasi lokal yang bergerak di bidang studi, advokasi, dan kebijakan. Kegiatan-kegiatan yang dilakukan dalam prakarsa ini bermuara kepada tiga kelompok tujuan: menciptakan insentif bagi kebijakan ekonomi yang lebih baik; menyediakan alat untuk pelaksanaan kebijakan ekonomi yang lebih baik; dan, menjamin keterlibatan kelompok miskin. Asia Foundation mendukung penciptaan insentif bagi kebijakan ekonomi yang lebih baik melalui penguatan kapasitas bagi pihakpihak non pemerintah untuk berpartisipasi dalam pembuatan kebijakan. Sebagai contoh, Asia Foundation telah memfasilitasi pembentukan 39 asosiasi usaha kecil dan menengah di daerah (Forum Daerah UKM - Forda) dan memperkuat dialog antara

The Foundation helps to build incentives for good economic policy by enhancing the capacity of non-government actors to participate in policy formulation. For example, the Foundation has helped to create 39 local business associations (Forda)...

The Foundation helps to build incentives for good economic policy by enhancing the capacity of non-government actors to participate in policy formulation. For example, the Foundation has helped to create 39 local business associations (Forda) and has strengthened the dialogue between the private sector and local policymakers by building Forda advocacy skills. The Foundation also helps to build incentives for better local economic governance through its support for an economic governance index developed with Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD).

Commitment is growing among small Cambodian business owners to strengthen their own network as well as their relationship with the public sector, as demonstrated by the large turnout and vigorous participation of business owners who came...

Commitment is growing among small Cambodian business owners to strengthen their own network as well as their relationship with the public sector, as demonstrated by the large turnout and vigorous participation of business owners who came together for the cross-provincial meeting at the Sovana Phum Hotel in Kampong Chhnang on March, 28, 2007.

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.

The Asia Foundation has cooperated with the Center for Business and Government of Harvard University (CBG-Harvard), which works for Bank Rakyat Indonesia, to conduct a survey on access to and services of micro fi nance institutions (MFIs) in...

The Asia Foundation has cooperated with the Center for Business and Government of Harvard University (CBG-Harvard), which works for Bank Rakyat Indonesia, to conduct a survey on access to and services of micro fi nance institutions (MFIs) in six provinces: West Java, East Java, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Sulawesi and Papua. The survey was aimed at looking at the availability of micro finance services.

In Indonesia, the Foundation has been responding to the real and pressing needs of small businesses since 1996. The Partnership for Enterprise Policy Reform program, funded by USAID, works to improve the business environment by broadening...

In Indonesia, the Foundation has been responding to the real and pressing needs of small businesses since 1996. The Partnership for Enterprise Policy Reform program, funded by USAID, works to improve the business environment by broadening private sector participation in government decisions on small business policy. The program is also enabling greater access to credit at the local level through a better functioning financial system. Lastly, the Foundation works to increase the availability of relevant technology and information to and among small and medium enterprises (SMEs).