Description

In Asia, there is heightened interest in the inclusiveness of the growth process. But that interest needs to be matched by a sharper operational focus—in countries and at ADB—on how better results for inclusive growth can be promoted.

This edition of Learning Lessons identifies three key levers for inclusive growth. First, that capitalizing on complementarities matters for inclusive growth. The study notes, for example, that research in Viet Nam has identified links between education outcomes and returns to irrigation, especially for the poorest. The second lever is that it pays to change market constraints that put the poorer segments of society at a disadvantage. And thirdly, greater effort is needed for investing in people and assets that especially enhance the capabilities of the poor.

The study says that improving the policy mixes of investments and emphasizing objectives, as well as monitoring and evaluation, would help ADB’s interventions in the private and public sectors contribute to greater inclusive growth.

Sharpening Operational Focus on Inclusive Growth by Independent Evaluation at Asian Development Bank