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Experts discuss challenges for sustainable growth for Japan at AMRO-ADBI roundtable
From its aging population to its economic policy, the Japanese economy faces a number of challenges in striving toward sustainable growth. Moving forward, the focus should be on measures to strengthen productivity and wage pressures by reducing labor market duality and increasing mobility. This should be followed by reforms to bolster investment as well as diversify and enhance the labor supply to raise potential growth by facilitating full-time work, female and older labor market participation, and the use of foreign labor. These were some of the conclusions from the “2018 AMRO-ADBI Roundtable on Japanese Economy” organized by ADBI and the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO). The event was held in Tokyo on 7 November 2018.
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Global platform to promote “Sanitation for all NOW”
ADB Institute and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation organized a roundtable among development partners and a policy dialogue with government officials on 20-21 September at ADBI, Tokyo. Participants discussed innovative ways to scale up and improve the quality of investments supported by multilateral development banks and development partners for countrywide, citywide, and countywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) and non-sewered sanitation (NSS). Participants also proposed to create a global platform, “Sanitation for All from NOW,” whereby development partners would (i) plan and deliver services for everyone to benefit from good and sustainable sanitation services, (ii) safely manage human waste along the whole sanitation service chain, and (iii) prioritize the unserved, among others. Click here to see the complete final statement.
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Financial technology can improve SMEs’ access to finance in Asia
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including micro-enterprises, play a pivotal role in economic development in Asia, contributing significantly to domestic output. Financial technology, however, can offer many opportunities to address this constraint by allowing SMEs better access to finance. For example, using big data and artificial intelligence for compiling SME credit data could help investors make informed investment decisions on SMEs, leading to the improvement of access to finance. These are some of the conclusions from the workshop, “The Role of Financial Technology for SME Development in Asia”, organized by ADBI in cooperation with the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo, and Lembaga Penyelidikan Ekonomi & Masyarakat (LPEM), Universitas Indonesia, on 7–8 November 2018 in Jakarta. ADBI Senior Economist Wawan Juswanto and LPEM FEB UI Director Surapol Opasatien gave the opening remarks.
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Digital innovation can help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access finance in Asia
Growth in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector is often hindered by financing bottlenecks. Alternative lending using digital technologies, such as peer-to-peer platforms and open banking systems, offers invaluable opportunities for improving SMEs’ access to finance. These were some of the conclusions from the workshop, How Digital Innovation Can Help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Access Finance in Asia, organized by ADBI in cooperation with the National Credit Bureau on 29–30 October in Bangkok, where over 20 experts and government officials from Asia and the Pacific presented their latest research and policy developments. ADBI Dean Naoyuki Yoshino and National Credit Bureau Chief Executive Officer Surapol Opasatien gave the opening remarks.
Asia Pathways Blog
- Does skilled emigration matter for real exchange rate volatility?
- Kuznets beyond Kuznets: Structural transformation and income distribution in the era of globalization in Asia
- Is female entrepreneurship a coping strategy during crises?
- “Theory of change” as a solution to the global sanitation crisis
- Do solar lights help kids do better in school?
Events
- Conference on Spillover Effects of High-Speed Rail and Quality of Life
- 5th Asia Women Leaders Program
- Aging Populations and their Impact on Fiscal Sustainability in the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea
- OECD-ADBI-BoL-GIZ Conference on Financial Literacy and Consumer Protection
- ADBI-ADB-CI Final Conference: Leveraging SME Finance though Value Chains in the CAREC Landlocked Economies
Books
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Tax and Development: Challenges in Asia and the Pacific
Taxation is increasingly in the limelight as a development agenda item, particularly with the emergence of the G20 as the premier international forum.
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Kuznets beyond Kuznets: Structural Transformation and Income Inequality in the Era of Globalization in Asia
Structural transformation is a key factor in determining productivity growth and income distribution in Asia.
Latest
Chronic current account deficit, high inflation, and the bank-based financial system are major obstacles to small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) access to finance in Turkey.
Credit Guarantee Scheme and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Finance: The Case of Turkey
The extent of spillovers varies and depends on the characteristics of firms and countries.
Productivity Spillovers from Services Firms in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: What Is the Role of Firm Characteristics and Services Liberalization?
New financial technologies such as blockchain, the Internet of Things, and big data offer the potential to unlock green finance.
The Role of Fintech in Unlocking Green Finance: Policy Insights for Developing Countries
Cities featuring greater openness tend to have lower industrial wastewater emissions but higher sulfur dioxide emissions.
Trade Openness and the Environmental Kuznets Curve: Evidence from Cities in the People’s Republic of China
Only a positive financial shock to green firms can boost production and credit for the green sector.
Role of Bank Lending in Financing Green Projects: A Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Approach
A green energy policy can help Pakistan meet its energy requirements while reducing its dependence on imports and lowering the cost of energy.
Green Finance in Pakistan: Barriers and Solutions
Videos
- Tighter immigration rules threaten India’s IT talent exports
- PRC may be about to repeat the financial mistakes of Japan in the 1980s
- Australia, New Zealand have “green” policies but neither has reached its renewable-energy potential
- Lessons from the Asian contagion helped the IMF tackle global financial crisis
