Bøger udgivet af Asian Development Bank

Highlighting the importance of Asia's small and medium enterprises, this report shows how economies can learn from policies employed by the Republic of Korea and the United States to offer SMEs the credit they need to thrive.With SMEs making up some 96% of all Asian businesses, the report explains the challenges they commonly face and analyzes the impact of specialized financing facilities in the ROK and the US. It offers a study of public institutional approaches towards improving credit access, assesses international lending regulations, and explores how developing public lending schemes for SMEs can support growth.

This report acts as a road map for the phased implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards in Uzbekistan as part of reform initiatives to bolster transparency, better understand its finances, and improve decision-making.Outlining why implementing IPSAS will take over a decade, it assesses current public financial management and how to close accounting standard gaps. It underscores the need for dedicated project management and sets out potential reform program risks. It details the four-step implementation process and explains why IT systems should be integrated to introduce IPSAS and produce a 360-degree view of the government's financial status and performance.

This publication examines pollution control technologies and looks at their suitability for use in small-scale agriculture. Agriculture generates pollution that is diverse and complex. This publication explores how small-scale operations with limited resources can control pollution and manage health and safety issues. It compares major pollution control technologies, especially their cost-effectiveness in tackling air and water pollution and the solid and hazardous waste typical in agro-sectors. It provides analysis and recommendations on their suitability for small-scale operations, and offers insights into how environmental standards and pollution load control support environmental quality improvement.

Detailing how Australia's Therapeutics Goods Administration conducted horizon scanning for new vaccines during the pandemic to assist ADB, this report is designed to help countries in Asia and the Pacific prepare for future outbreaks.It provides details of 16 vaccine manufacturers with novel and established vaccine technologies adapted to new pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Offering information on their vaccine pipeline and partnerships, the report shows their approach to working with ADB's developing member countries and can be used to inform decisions related to vaccine manufacturing and procurement.

This report analyzes how to detangle and simplify the complex product-specific rules of origin (PSRO) in free trade agreements in Asia and the Pacific and explores how technology can cut red tape and reduce inefficiencies impacting trade.It compares the leniency and stringency of PSROs under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in terms of manufacturing requirements with those contained in ASEAN+1 free trade agreements. Assessing how companies could benefit from an actionable document showing convergence and leniency, it examines how RCEP can boost intra-regional trade with more with business friendly PSROs and operational certification procedures.

This report analyzes ways to match youth in Asia and the Pacific with quality jobs and shows why approaches that consider nonlinear transitions into and within the labor market can help underpin productivity and social progress.Noting some four out of five young people in the region work informally, it reviews job matching models including commercial and government online platforms, digital bootcamps, and corporate-funded programs. It explains how governments can play an instrumental role, assesses how the private sector reaches untapped markets, and why blended job matching strategies can improve transitions and drive inclusive youth employment.

This report analyzes the online learning experiences of higher education students in six Asian countries during the pandemic to illustrate how to provide technical and learning support, narrow the digital divide, and direct future policy.Drawing on surveys from Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam, its touches on areas including internet availability, student satisfaction, and levels of student-teacher interaction. Providing country breakdowns, the report considers funding for online education, underscores the challenges for low-income students, and sets out how to fill the skills and training gap to offer equal access to better education.

This edition analyzes how financial conditions weakened and bond yields rose in most emerging East Asian markets between 1 September and 10 November amid expectations that the United States Federal Reserve would keep interest rates elevated for an extended period.The report covers the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; the People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; and the Republic of Korea. It explains how overall risks to regional financial conditions remain balanced, with downside risks emanating from high interest rates potentially offset by expected moderation in inflation in 2024. The report also discusses recent developments in local currency bond markets and includes summaries for each of the region's individual markets.

This report outlines how the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program could set up a disaster risk transfer facility to help members strengthen risk management.The CAREC region is highly exposed to natural hazards, particularly earthquakes and floods, and the adverse economic impacts of climate change. A regional disaster risk transfer facility could help CAREC countries diversify risk, reduce costs, increase access to international insurance and capital markets, and coordinate risk analysis and modeling. This report draws on lessons from other regions to explore opportunities and options for developing a CAREC Risk Facility. It suggests next steps in establishing a facility and considers the role of stakeholders including the Asian Development Bank.

Analyzing rural wastewater management in the People's Republic of China, this publication considers current financing, policy, and institutional frameworks, and proposes ways forward.It outlines the health, social and economic impacts of inadequate wastewater management in rural areas, considers cost recovery methods, and assesses the challenges of pulling in private sector investment. Drawing on case studies and international best practices, it suggests ways of strengthening rural wastewater services.

Continued growth is expected in the Pacific, but governments need to generate additional resources for public infrastructure and services essential to sustaining economic development.This edition of the Pacific Economic Monitor presents the region's experiences in domestic resource mobilization (DRM), the process wherein governments generate their own resources to fund their operations. Policy briefs examine the case for improving DRM, explore digital transformation in tax administration, and discuss tourism, an important sector in many Pacific economies that may have a role to play in contributing to DRM.

This manual discusses the process of climate risk screening/climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) mainstreamed into the project formulation and implementation system of Bangladesh.This manual uses a modified CRVA tool based on the climate risk management framework, which was developed to help assess the climate and disaster risks and vulnerability of public sector development projects in Bangladesh, and to ensure that their designs and subsequent development project proformas address significant climate change and disaster risks.

This publication explores how data from administrative records can complement traditional data sources such as surveys and censuses to enhance government planning for sustainable and inclusive development. It provides guidance on how administrative data-such as health, pension, and employment data in a social security system-can be a cost-effective way of developing and monitoring quality work- and labor-related statistics and indicators. The publication also explains the challenges, solutions, and future opportunities for producing, analyzing, and communicating statistics from administrative data sources.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has various tools to support gender mainstreaming, but these tools are not tailored to public-private partnerships (PPPs). ADB developed this tool kit for anyone engaged in PPP operations to integrate gender considerations in PPP projects throughout the development cycle.The tool kit offers guidance by (i) helping users become aware of how PPPs can offer more inclusive and gender-responsive infrastructure and services, and (ii) presenting practical approaches and application of gender considerations across the PPP development cycle. The tool kit highlights gender considerations for PPPs and good practice examples, and offers a list of resources and sector considerations.

Analyzing the importance of Thailand's blue economy, this report considers ways to mobilize and scale up private sector investment in areas such as aquaculture and marine renewable energy to help bolster sustainable blue development.It explains why factors such as limited awareness of ocean economy opportunities, a lack of investment-ready at-scale projects, and insufficient monitoring are proving a barrier to investors. The report shows how creating an enabling environment and developing products such as sustainability-linked loans and technical assistance grants could help drive investment flows to the sector and safeguard Thailand's blue economic growth.

This report analyzes ways that the tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific can leverage regional digital cooperation to ensure long-term resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity.Explaining how countries are looking to "build forward better" to insulate tourism from future shocks, the report studies how digital technology can be used to help change behaviors and stimulate investment. It sets out policy recommendations, considers countries' capacity and readiness, and shows how utilizing artificial intelligence and other technologies can help spur smart tourism and support economic growth.

This report analyzes e-commerce in Asia and the Pacific, assesses its environmental impact, and explains why providing adequate internet, online payments, and last-mile logistics is key to creating a sustainable and inclusive digital marketplace. Noting the region makes up the largest share of the world's online retail market, it tracks the impact of the pandemic and emphasizes the need to level the playing field for small businesses. It outlines ways for companies to measure their carbon footprint, highlights the potential risk of anti-competitive behavior, and explains the need to improve digital taxation policies in line with e-commerce's rapid growth.

This report assesses the hurdles Philippine micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) face to access the financial services they need to grow and outlines how to promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem that enables women-owned MSMEs to thrive.Drawing on the results of a survey of MSMEs, which account for 63 percent of total employment in the Philippines, it highlights why women entrepreneurs find it harder to access credit and are less likely to use digital financial services. It recommends financial institutions tailor digital solutions toward women entrepreneurs and invest in training to help boost gender equality and financial inclusion for MSMEs.

Focusing on Pacific economies, this 2023 edition shows how micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) helped spur a robust recovery from the pandemic and why supporting their development is key to driving sustainable, inclusive growth. It tackles the challenges of registering informal businesses and ensuring skilled labor for domestic business in response to the issue of brain drain, and addresses the importance of more business diversity in the climate-vulnerable region. It also highlights why the Pacific needs to boost its digital infrastructure to help businesses digitalize, and explains the need for broadening access to financing as vital for the growth of vibrant MSMEs in the region.

This publication explores how data from ships' Automatic Identification System (AIS) can be used to produce near real-time, granular statistics for analyzing maritime activities and detecting disruptions to port operations. Recent global supply chain disruptions have underscored the need for more timely and accurate data. This publication shows how indicators from AIS data can be used to supplement official statistics. Highlighting how AIS data can swiftly capture the impact of events on major ports and maritime highways, it outlines a framework to leverage this data and support a broader understanding of maritime activities from major hubs and cases of disruptions.

Introducing a data-driven framework aimed at closing the digital education gap, this report assesses 10 developing member countries and illuminates how a multi-stakeholder, systemic approach-including engagement with the private sector-can enhance the delivery of digital education.Utilizing five overarching categories of the framework-infrastructure, government policy, educators, students, and service providers-as lenses to examine each country's unique landscape, the report identifies tailored pathways for incremental and staged development. The report envisages adopting sustainable, scalable solutions that contribute to a more cohesive and inclusive digital education ecosystem.

This publication provides updated statistics on a comprehensive set of economic, financial, social, and environmental measures as well as select indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report covers the 49 regional members of ADB. It discusses trends in development progress and the challenges to achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth across Asia and the Pacific. This 54th edition of Key Indicators examines how the increased cost-of-living crisis combined with the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are pushing millions of people in Asia and the Pacific deeper into poverty. The report identifies the need for more galvanized efforts to ensure poor people are able to cope with inflationary pressures and ongoing economic uncertainties.

This handbook shows how the Build4Skills program integrates traineeships into ADB-backed infrastructure construction projects in Asia and the Pacific to provide cost-efficient training that boosts employability and makes projects more inclusive. Designed as a practical step-by-step guide, it includes templates that layout trainee requirements. It sets out how to integrate Build4Skills traineeships, coordinate with contractors and institutions, and deliver effective training. It explains how building training into projects requires marginal budget increases, why offering work-based training benefits contractors, and how strategic cooperation can create innovative solutions to global challenges.

This publication provides a case study of how digital tools can help optimize road design to strengthen climate resilience, safety, and efficient resource use.It explains how virtual models can be used to simulate and analyze the effects of potential design choices and future scenarios such as climatic conditions. It shows how greater use of data and digital solutions can help build greener, more durable transport infrastructure and bolster safety. The case study was developed in collaboration with ORIS as part of a project to upgrade a section of the A380 Highway in Uzbekistan.

This guidance note shares insights on economic corridor development as an area-based approach and explores how to facilitate these multisector programs. It will be relevant to government officials, development partners, the private sector, and academia in formulating, implementing, and assessing economic corridors.

This edition shows how a modest improvement in economic fundamentals has buoyed East Asia's local currency bond (LCY) markets, but potential renewed increases in inflation and further interest rate hikes could pose risks for the region's borrowers.Covering the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, China, and the Republic of Korea, the report notes that positive investment sentiment supported a narrowing of risk premiums, a rally in equity markets, and net foreign portfolio inflows. However, interest rates in the region remained elevated, partly due to a rise in bond yields in major advanced economies. Higher borrowing costs have contributed to debt stress and bond defaults in some markets in the region over the past few months.

Analyzing the role companies can play in tackling climate change, this book shows how they can set up effective environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks and draft resilient strategies for sustainable activities and investment. It assesses the issue of climate justice, considers the impact of "greenwashing," and looks at ways investors can evaluate ESG considerations. It outlines the corporate and economic risks of climate change alongside the response from central banks. It shows that policy guidance, increased transparency, and information sharing is central for the private sector to make progress towards tackling climate change while protecting its business interests.

Providing high-level climate risk assessments for cities in Armenia, Georgia, and Uzbekistan, this report is designed to mainstream mitigation and adaptation into urban planning to help ensure climate resilient growth. For each country, it harnesses climate data, models, and projections. It offers a range of scenarios, assesses potential risks to key infrastructure, and sets out ways to combat the impacts of events such as increasingly severe floods and heatwaves. Targeted at focal agencies, ADB project teams, and development practitioners, it proposes urban planning and policy measures that can help each of the countries reach their ambitious climate commitments.

This publication analyzes the evolution of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) in Asia and the Pacific, assesses their potential risks and technical challenges, and shows their potential to improve cross-border payments and financial inclusion.Ahead of the launch of any large-scale Asian CBDC, it details various models and explores how Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Singapore, and Thailand are taking the lead. Outlining global developments and emerging trends, it shows why a robust digital infrastructure, strong public-private collaboration, and fintech literacy are central to ensuring CBDCs help drive the transition to a digital economy.

This report explores Uzbekistan's nascent technology start-up ecosystem, outlines hurdles entrepreneurs face to turn ideas into viable businesses, and offers practical ways to create the environment they need to thrive.Analyzing start-ups focused on agriculture, education, health, and the environment, the report explains the need to bolster talent, increase access to funding and incubator programs, and find fresh ways for the government to lend support. It shows how increasing grants, starting a national investment fund, and engaging foreign expertise will encourage entrepreneurs to build and scale up new businesses while helping diversify Uzbekistan's economy. It is the ninth country report in the series Ecosystems for Technology Startups in Asia and the Pacific.