Year in Review 2019
Message from the Dean
Archive The year in review reports summarizes
ADBI's achievements, activities
and financial highlights for the year. In 2019, ADBI took important steps to enhance its role as a leading provider of evidence-based policy research and capacity building and training (CBT) for promoting a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.
In recognition of ADBI’s enhanced knowledge delivery and impact, it was named the world’s number one ranked government-affiliated think tank and 24th ranked worldwide think tank by the University of Pennsylvania’s 2019 Global Go to Think Tank Index Report. ADBI also continued to improve the gender diversity of its core staff.
Research
Overview
ADBI hosted 41 research events convening an estimated 1,300 participants in 2019. It also published 14 open access books, 154 working papers, 22 journal articles, two journal special issues, and 28 blogs. Collectively, these initiatives helped promote timely, evidence-based policy innovation in Asia and the Pacific.
ADBI’s research work examined topics such as climate risk; demographic change, productivity, and the role of technology; economic integration; energy security; financial technology (fintech), financial inclusion, and financial literacy; small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) finance; and infrastructure finance.
The policy impacts of this research were significant. Examples include strengthening excessive household debt controls in India and Thailand; guiding Cambodia’s deposit insurance premium rate; enhancing land trust development in Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Thailand; and supporting the establishment of a credit risk database by the central bank of the Philippines.
Research Themes and Major Studies
Addressing Remaining Poverty and Reducing Inequalities
- Fintech and Financial Inclusion
- Human Capital Development for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity
- Finance and Innovation in Asia
- How Digital Innovation Can Increase Small Business Access to Finance in Asia and the Pacific
Tackling Climate Change, Building Climate and Disaster Resilience, and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability
- Globalization, Environment, and Climate Change
- Energy Insecurity and Finance for Climate Change
- Water Insecurity and Sanitation in Asia
- Finance for Climate Change
- Ocean Infrastructure and Disaster Risk Management
- Environmental, Social, and Governance Investment: Opportunities and Risks for Asia
- Climate Risk and Sovereign Risk in Southeast Asia
Making Cities More Livable
- Infrastructure Development and Finance in Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Countries
- Land Management and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Evaluating the Spillover Effects of High-Speed Rail Using Quality of Life
Promoting Rural Development and Food Security
- Leveraging SME Finance through Global Value Chains in Landlocked CAREC Countries
Strengthening Governance and Institutional Capacity
- Fintech and Financial Stability
Fostering Regional Cooperation and Integration
- Globalization and Economic Stability
ADBI Research Books
- “Those That Fix the Lights”: The Practice of Public Sector Management in Developing Asia
- Central Bank Digital Currency and Fintech in Asia
- Achieving Energy Security in Asia: Diversification, Integration and Policy Implications
- Macroeconomic Shocks and Unconventional Monetary Policy: Impacts on Emerging Markets
- Handbook of Green Finance: Energy Security and Sustainable Development
- Leveraging Services for Development: Prospects and Policies
- Principles of Infrastructure: Case Studies and Best Practices
- Realizing Education for All in the Digital Age
- Fintech for Asian SMEs
- Financial Inclusion, Regulation, Literacy, and Education in Central Asia and South Caucasus
- Demystifying Rising Inequality in Asia
Capacity Building and Training
Overview
ADBI held 53 capacity building and training (CBT) events in 2019 to support policy development and sustainable growth in Asia and the Pacific. They convened 1,538 participants, including about 1,000 officials from Asian Development Bank (ADB) developing member countries (DMCs). About 43% of all CBT event participants were female.
CBT events included policy dialogues, training workshops, and graduate courses, about a third of which were hosted at ADBI in Tokyo and two-thirds were held across Central and West Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. About 25% of CBT events were jointly organized with ADB and about 25% were co-organized with institutional partners.
The CBT department also published 5 edited books, 7 working papers, 4 policy briefs, 2 case studies, and blogs, as well as launched the new ADBI E-Learning platform in November 2019.
CBT Priority Themes and Select Major Events
Accelerating Progress in Gender Equality
Addressing Remaining Poverty and Reducing Inequalities
- Sub-Regional Capacity Building Workshop on Improving Access to Universal Health Coverage: Role of Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer in the Pharmaceutical Sector
- ADBI–Stanford Leadership Academy for Development: The Role of Public Policy in Infrastructure Development
Fostering Regional Cooperation and Integration
- Ninth ADBI–OECD–ILO Roundtable on Labor Migration in Asia: Innovative Approaches for the Effective Management of Labor Migration in Asia
- Economic Corridor Development for Competitive and Inclusive Asia Training
Making Cities More Livable
Nurturing Young Scholars and Policy Makers from Developing Member Countries
- ADBI–Hitotsubashi Course on Asian Economic Development and Integration
- ADBI–University of Tokyo Course on Asian Economic Development and Integration
Strengthening Governance and Institutional Capacity
- OECD–ADBI–Financial Regulatory Department of Ministry of Planning and Finance Myanmar Roundtable on Insurance and Retirement
- OECD–ADBI Roundtable on Capital Market and Financial Reform in Asia
- Seminar: Do High Rewards Require High Risks? What to Consider When Investing in High-Risk Jurisdictions and Industries
Tackling Climate Change, Building Climate and Disaster Resilience, and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability
- Regional Workshop on Blue Economy, Disaster Risk Financing, and Ocean Infrastructure
- International Training Workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management for Sustainable Development
Major Capacity Building and Training Publications
Books
- Building Partnerships for Effectively Managing Labor Migration: Lessons from Asian Countries
- Aging Societies: Policies and Perspectives
- Water Insecurity and Sanitation in Asia
- Achieving Energy Security in Asia: Diversification, Integration, and Policy Implications
- Principles of Infrastructure: Case Studies and Best Practices
Case Studies
- Quantifying the Economic Spillover Effect for Citywide Fecal Sludge Management Programs
- Learning from the Challenges of the Melamchi Water Supply in Kathmandu
Policy Briefs
- The Dynamics of Urbanization, Housing, and Land Provision in the Pacific Island Countries
- Building Development Capacities in Asia and the Pacific: Good Practices and Ways Forward for ADBI’s Capacity Building Programs
- Closing the Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion through Fintech
- Achieving Sustainable Sanitation in Asia