The frequency and severity of natural disasters are on the rise worldwide, with Pacific countries experiencing some of the most damaging ones in recent decades. The importance of disaster risk management and the part played by climate change...

For all the controversy around it, the breathtaking scope of India's food security scheme for nearly two-thirds of the population sends a powerful message across developing Asia. The region leads the world in the pace of economic growth, yet...

A GLOBAL debate is in full swing over what should replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) once they expire in 2015. For Asia, this discussion could not have come too soon, as all evidence suggests that it will take a significant...

Economic growth is front-page news everywhere. But experience tells us that the link between income and human development is far from assured. Worldwide, countries with similar per capita incomes have had quite different achievements in basic...

The striking reduction in extreme poverty over the past two decades is in good measure a reflection of [People's Republic of] China’s ability to lift some 500 million people above the poverty line. But this progress begs the question...

After a remarkable run, Asian countries are finding it increasingly difficult to sustain past rates of economic growth. In the aftermath of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, governments across the region have plenty to worry about: slowing...

It is often said that as countries climb from low- to middle-income status, income inequality typically worsens before getting better. Whether this is an iron-clad law or not, what is true is that inequality in middle-income countries —...