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Joint Study Output
Connecting East Asia: A New Framework for Infrastructure

Launched in Tokyo, Japan on 16 March 2005, this joint study is organized around four main themes: inclusive development, coordination, accountability, and risk management. It is aimed at senior policymakers and development practitioners who have to look at infrastructure in the context of country-wide policies and programs. This study does not provide detailed recommendations by country and sector but instead provides a new way of thinking about infrastructure issues - which is relevant to all countries in the region.

The study framework has important policy implications that reflect key concerns articulated during consultations with policy makers, policy implementers, infrastructure service providers, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders in the region. The report sets out the following 12 policy messages:

On Coordination -

1. The center matters - infrastructure demands strong planning and coordination functions
2. Decentralization is important, but raises a host of coordination challenges
3. Fiscal space for infrastructure is critical

On Accountability and Risk Management -

4. "Subsidy" is not a dirty word - subsidies can be important, but are always risky, and should be handled with care
5. Competition is hard to achieve in infrastructure, but it's the best way to bring accountability
6. Regulatory independence matters more in the long run than in the short run
7. Civil society has a key role to play in ensuring accountability in service provision
8. Infrastructure has to clean up its act - addressing corruption is a priority

On Funding -

9. The private sector will come back - if the right policies are in place
10. Public sector reform matters, but be realistic
11. Local capital markets matter, but are not a panacea
12. Infrastructure needs reliable and responsive development partners

Background Papers commissioned as part of this Joint Study and can be downloaded from http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/All/0D233FB71657891585256FF10076C36F?OpenDocument

• Read the executive summary [PDF: 512 kb | 57 pages]
• Read the final report - Connecting East Asia: A New Framework for Infrastructure [PDF: 1.93mb | 297 pages]
• Read the joint press release [PDF] during the launching of Connecting East Asia
• Read the speech of Vice President Geert H.P.B. van der Linden during the launching of Connecting East Asia