Subjects

Inclusive development: can trade be good for women?
Gender

Inclusive development: can trade be good for women?

/
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the need to achieve gender equality and to empower women and girls. Development that is truly inclusive clearly requires special attention to outcomes affecting more than half of the world’s population—yet historically, a group that has seen discrimination in law and fact over a long period.
Benefits of education and training for SMEs in Asia
Economics, Education

Benefits of education and training for SMEs in Asia

/
The importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to economies in Asia is well known. They account for over 95% of all businesses, a third to half of aggregate output, and the majority of enterprise employment (Vandenberg, Chantapacdepong, and Yoshino 2016). We also know that SMEs do not have an easy life. They struggle to get established, face a higher failure rate than large firms, and lack access to key inputs such as finance. Finding ways to increase their survival rate and growth is important for expanding private sector activity in Asia’s developing economies. Sustaining enterprises requires that they are competitive; competitiveness, in turn, is based on productivity.
Industry and trade

Still time to reconnect trade policy and SDGs

/
In 2002, “trade for development” was a core topic of the Millennium Development Goals. Fifteen years later, trade is at the periphery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Three main reasons explain this rapid decline. First, trade negotiators did their best to obscure the Doha Round and bilateral trade negotiations in byzantine and sterile debates. Second, business stopped to pay attention to trade policy because firms turned to a form of liberalization tailor-made for their own global value chains: they traded tariff cuts of interest to them in exchange of investments in the opening countries.
Promoting the Sustainable Development Goals with “win–win” regulations in food and agricultural trade
Agriculture and natural resources

Promoting the sustainable development goals with “win–win” regulations in food and agricultural trade

/
While the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do not explicitly mention trade, freer trade does support at least two of them: SDG 8 (Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all) and SDG 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) are possible through the benefits of the movement of goods and services globally. Dating back to the work of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, evidence suggests that trade is beneficial and that different types of countries can gain from trade. The gains come from efficient production and expansion of consumption opportunities.
The Water Challenge: International Trade to the Rescue
Water

The water challenge: international trade to the rescue

/
In many parts of the world, water availability is in decline and its quality is deteriorating. According to the World Bank, water scarcity, intensified by climate change, could come at a high price for some regions, costing as much as 6 percent of their gross domestic product. Tackling the water challenge is crucial to unlocking poverty eradication, prosperity, ecosystems preservation, and gender equality. As such, water security is a fundamental element of a sustainable development agenda. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals recognized this by introducing a dedicated water goal (“SDG 6”) that seeks to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”
Overcoming Asia’s housing challenge
Urban Development

Overcoming Asia’s housing challenge

/
Asia is urbanizing rapidly. Currently, about half of all of its residents live in urban areas, and the number of urban residents in Asia is expected to reach 3.3 billion by 2050. The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) estimated that at the current urbanization rate, 127,000 people are added to urban centers every day in Asia.
Bridging the “missing middle” between microfinance and SME finance in South Asia
Finance sector development

Bridging the “missing middle” between microfinance and SME finance in South Asia

/
With financial inclusion finding a place in the international policy agenda, many developing countries are facilitating the development of their microfinance sectors. However, not enough attention has been paid to carving out a route for microfinance borrowers who outgrow microfinance, requiring loan sizes higher than the upper threshold of microcredit, still too small to avail of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) credit from commercial banks. Other small enterprises that are unbanked also have needs unmet by microfinance institutions (MFIs) or commercial banks.
Exploring the Trade–Urbanization Nexus in Developing Economies: Evidence and Implications
Industry and trade

Exploring the trade–urbanization nexus in developing economies: evidence and implications

/
Modern humans have been increasingly concentrated in cities. The United Nations forecasts that 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2030. Regional multilateral institutions such as the Development Bank of Latin America and the Asian Development Bank have stepped up their efforts to support the urban sector and to collaborate on comparative studies of urbanization.
The cost of being obese
Health

The cost of being obese

/
When we talk about the cost of being obese, many people will imagine the personal spending due to obesity, e.g. special clothing, housing, and transportation that may be different from the requirements of non-obese people, or even the medical expenses arising from obesity-related illnesses. Some people may also consider the cost of becoming obese, such as excessive consumption of high-calorie foods and sweetened beverages.
Assessing policies to promote financial inclusion, regulation, and education in emerging Asia
Finance sector development

Assessing policies to promote financial inclusion, regulation, and education in emerging Asia

/
Financial inclusion has been receiving increasing attention for its potential to contribute to economic and financial development while fostering more inclusive growth and greater income equality. There are numerous arguments in favor of increasing financial inclusion, and a large body of evidence shows that increased financial inclusion can significantly reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity. Greater access to financial services by households can help smooth consumption, ease cash shortages, and increase savings for retirement and other needs, although the evidence on microfinance is less positive.
Scroll to Top