The Asia Foundation

Advancing Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities for Small and Medium Businesses

The Asia Foundation has a decades-long history of supporting broad-based economic growth across Asia through both public and private...

Advancing Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities for Small and Medium Businesses

The Asia Foundation has a decades-long history of supporting broad-based economic growth across Asia through both public and private channels. Through its Economic Development programs, the Foundation has assisted micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in accessing the legal information, financing, business services, and skills they need to enhance their competitiveness and profitability, thereby helping to create jobs and reduce poverty.

For more than a decade, The Asia Foundation's Local and Economic Governance programs have supported broad-based economic development and reform in Indonesia, working with local business, government, and civil society to enhance their roles and...

For more than a decade, The Asia Foundation's Local and Economic Governance programs have supported broad-based economic development and reform in Indonesia, working with local business, government, and civil society to enhance their roles and effectiveness in policy reform and to promote business-friendly policies. Partnering with an extensive network of nongovernmental organizations, business associations, academics, community groups, and government agencies, the Foundation supports initiatives to improve the business environment through policy and institutional reform and develop pro-poor and gender-sensitive local policies and budgets.

For more than a decade, The Asia Foundation's Local and Economic Governance programs have supported broad-based economic development and reform in Indonesia, working with local business, government, and civil society to enhance their roles and...

For more than a decade, The Asia Foundation's Local and Economic Governance programs have supported broad-based economic development and reform in Indonesia, working with local business, government, and civil society to enhance their roles and effectiveness in policy reform and to promote business-friendly policies. Partnering with an extensive network of nongovernmental organizations, business associations, academics, community groups, and government agencies, the Foundation supports initiatives to improve the business environment through policy and institutional reform and develop pro-poor and gender-sensitive local policies and budgets.

Youth constitutes a large segment, 43 percent, of the total population in Malaysia. The diverse and numerous roles that they play in the country's political, social and economic landscapes underline the fact that they are a critical...

Youth constitutes a large segment, 43 percent, of the total population in Malaysia. The diverse and numerous roles that they play in the country's political, social and economic landscapes underline the fact that they are a critical demographic group to engage. In April 2012, The Asia Foundation conducted its fourth nationwide survey of Malaysian youth opinion as part of the Foundation's continuing efforts to enhance public engagement and innovative research in support of improving governance, civil society, economic progress, and sustainable development in Malaysia. Over 2,100 youth across all states and federal territories in Malaysia were engaged in the comprehensive survey. The survey provides a window into the attitudes, concerns and practices of young Malaysians on a range of contemporary political, social and economic issues.

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.

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.

The Malaysia Business Environment Index (BEI) Pilot Study 2012 is the first survey that investigates firms' perceptions about the business environment at the district level. Utilizing data collected from 635 small and medium-sized firms, the...

The Malaysia Business Environment Index (BEI) Pilot Study 2012 is the first survey that investigates firms' perceptions about the business environment at the district level. Utilizing data collected from 635 small and medium-sized firms, the BEI is a composite of nine sub-indices which measure the business environment in 11 city and municipal districts across six states in peninsula Malaysia, and ranks them against each other based on a 100-point scale. The nine sub-indices have been structured to capture the key elements of the local business environment that can be influenced by district regulations or district implementation of federal and state policies.

(In Vietnamese) The "Agricultural Cooperatives Manual" is a product of an Asia Foundation project to enhance capacity of rural cooperatives to respond effectively to the economic and development needs of their communities conducted between...

(In Vietnamese) The "Agricultural Cooperatives Manual" is a product of an Asia Foundation project to enhance capacity of rural cooperatives to respond effectively to the economic and development needs of their communities conducted between 2010 and 2012. The manual includes an analysis of Vietnam's legal documents on cooperatives, development of agricultural cooperatives in Vietnam, and international models of agricultural cooperatives.

Since its inception in 2005, the Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) has been a critical tool for measuring and assessing the standards of economic governance in Vietnam's 64 provinces from the perspective of private sector...

Since its inception in 2005, the Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) has been a critical tool for measuring and assessing the standards of economic governance in Vietnam's 64 provinces from the perspective of private sector businesses. However, while the PCI has been influential in identifying issues that impact the enabling environment for private sector development, it cannot provide detailed feedback on what provincial governments can actually do to improve economic governance, and thereby support private sector development. In repeated conversations with provincial and national-level policy-makers, The Foundation has found that policy-makers are increasingly aware that there are governance problems at the provincial-level, but do not have the research and technical support to understand what specific reforms are most effective in improving the governance environment. The primary objective of the research is to map best practices in transparency/access to information that can be formulated into targeted technical assistance packages. The research includes both quantitative analysis of the PCI dataset and qualitative analysis of the case studies.

Since its inception in 2005, the Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) has been a critical tool for measuring and assessing the standards of economic governance in Vietnam's 64 provinces from the perspective of private sector...

Since its inception in 2005, the Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) has been a critical tool for measuring and assessing the standards of economic governance in Vietnam's 64 provinces from the perspective of private sector businesses. However, while the PCI has been influential in identifying issues that impact the enabling environment for private sector development, it cannot provide detailed feedback on what provincial governments can actually do to improve economic governance, and thereby support private sector development. In repeated conversations with provincial and national-level policy-makers, The Foundation has found that policy-makers are increasingly aware that there are governance problems at the provincial-level, but do not have the research and technical support to understand what specific reforms are most effective in improving the governance environment. The primary objective of the research is to map best practices in transparency/access to information that can be formulated into targeted technical assistance packages. The research includes both quantitative analysis of the PCI dataset and qualitative analysis of the case studies.

The global financial crisis has impacted negatively Vietnam's export and GDP growth, highlighting fundamental weaknesses in the country's economic structure and growth strategy. While export clearly will continue to play an important role in...

The global financial crisis has impacted negatively Vietnam's export and GDP growth, highlighting fundamental weaknesses in the country's economic structure and growth strategy. While export clearly will continue to play an important role in Vietnam's economic growth strategy, improving the competitiveness of exporting companies is crucial for Vietnam if the country is to enhance its export value and solve the trade deficit puzzle. The Foundation's assisted CIEM to research the competitiveness of exporting firms in Vietnam with a focus on three sectors: garments, seafood and electronic products. The research examines the characteristics, the nature and influencing factors affecting the competitiveness of the three selected sectors. The Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) is the leading research institute of the Ministry of Planning and Investment tasked with advising the government on economic policy. Findings from the research will contribute to recommendations to the government that will help facilitate Vietnam's sustainable growth and development.