Asia's Developing Future

The novel coronavirus continues to test health systems and economies worldwide. In this podcast, ADBI’s KE Seetha Ram discusses barriers to a simple life saving action to reduce exposure to COVID-19 – handwashing – and how efforts to further strengthen sanitation management can help communities in developing Asia and the Pacific thrive again. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2JOxezB ADBI’s related blog article Improve handwashing access to combat COVID-19 https://bit.ly/3e9nluk

Uncertainty caused by the new coronavirus is disrupting services industries ranging from healthcare, to travel and tourism, to financial markets, adding to concerns about their capacity to boost Asia’s manufacturing-driven economies. In this podcast, Matthias Helble and Ben Shepherd, co-editors of the new ADBI-ADB book Leveraging Services for Development: Prospects and Policies, along with contributor Valerie Mercer-Blackman, explain why such pessimism is misplaced. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2JvOj1i ADBI’s related publications Leveraging Services for Development: Prospects and Policies https://bit.ly/2xAC2Gf

Policy makers and researchers recently met at ADBI for a workshop examining green infrastructure investment, policy challenges, and economic implications in Asia. Marco Schletz from the United Nations Environment Program Technical University of Denmark Partnership was among the experts featured at the event. Afterwards, Schletz sat down with Asia’s Developing Future to discuss how blockchain and tokenized securities could revolutionize green finance and inclusive development in the region. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2QIe9TH ADBI’s related publication Blockchain and Tokenized Securities: The Potential for Green Finance https://bit.ly/2xnmQvH

The novel coronavirus is affecting transportation connectivity worldwide. In this podcast, ADBI’s KE Seetha Ram and Shreyas Bharule, co-editors of the new Handbook on High-Speed Rail and Quality of Life, discuss the sector’s development prospects and socioeconomic effects in the fast-changing and uncertain environment. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/33oHtDI ADBI’s related publications Handbook on High-Speed Rail and Quality of Life https://bit.ly/38V5Uda High-Speed Rail Services in Asia https://bit.ly/2UcXNDt

There are 8,248 think tanks globally, according to the latest Global Go To Think Tank Index Report from the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. In this podcast, Asian Development Bank Institute Dean Naoyuki Yoshino explains why think tanks are increasingly important in Asia and the Pacific and keys to ensuring their effectiveness in the fast-changing environment. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/382nxrb

Asian Development Bank Institute Dean Naoyuki Yoshino, chair of the Think20, or T20, under Japan’s 2019 G20 presidency, described the G20 engagement group’s policy innovation outlook at the T20 Saudi Arabia Inception Conference in Riyadh. In this podcast, we listen to Dean Yoshino’s on-stage remarks in which he discusses new T20 policy implementation breakthroughs and how to more effectively translate research ideas into action that delivers more sustainable and inclusive economies. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/36VvRbz

Cecilia Tam, head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilisation Programme, recently visited ADBI to discuss efforts to promote private finance for energy efficiency and renewable energy in emerging economies. In this podcast, Tam describes the importance of creating taxonomies, or definitions, of sustainable finance and the impact it could have for green investment in Asia and the Pacific and beyond. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2GhXq45

Chen Long, Secretary-General of Alibaba’s Luo Han Academy, recently spoke at ADBI on the future of financial services access and use in underserved areas of Asia and the Pacific as digital development accelerates. In this podcast, Chen describes inclusive finance challenges and opportunities in the fintech era and signs of new breakthroughs in the region. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2Nwh3ta

In this podcast, ADBI Senior Consulting Specialist for Capacity Building and Training Projects, KE Seetha Ram explains the growing pressure on municipal governments to address increasingly large amounts of diverse waste and innovative management approaches that are being adopted in Asia and the Pacific. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2QUo87Q ADBI’s related publications Water Insecurity and Sanitation in Asia https://bit.ly/2s3e43Q Achieving Sustainable Sanitation in Asia https://bit.ly/2T31xIX Quantifying the Economic Spillover Effect for Citywide Fecal Sludge Management Programs https://bit.ly/2s3euqW

ADBI recently hosted policy makers and researchers for a workshop examining the investment, policy, and economic impacts of green infrastructure and finance development in Asia. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor Hao Zhang was among the experts featured at the event. Afterwards, Zhang sat down with Asia’s Developing Future to discuss why the People’s Republic of China has quickly emerged as a leading green bond issuing country and its policy implications. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2sCVpeZ ADBI’s related publications Handbook of Green Finance: Energy Security and Sustainable Development https://bit.ly/35sIHhv Why Is Green Finance Important? https://bit.ly/2YZHA6z Green Finance in Singapore: Barriers and Solutions https://bit.ly/2EnTwpj Green Bond Experience in the Nordic Countries https://bit.ly/35rCkLC

ADBI will launch the new book Central Bank Digital Currencies and Fintech in Asia at the 2019 ADBI Annual Conference in Tokyo. In this podcast, ADBI Research Fellow and co-editor, Bihong Huang provides an overview of the book and its unique insights. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2OKSb0w ADBI’s related publications Central Bank Digital Currency and Fintech in Asia https://bit.ly/2QTqSnn

ADBI recently launched the new book “Achieving Energy Security in Asia: Diversification, Integration and Policy Implications” at ADBI in Tokyo. In this podcast, co-editor Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary of Waseda University and Dayong Zhang of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, a discussant at the launch, provide an overview of the book and its unique insights. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2O6oqYP ADBI’s related publications Achieving Energy Security in Asia: Diversification, Integration and Policy Implications https://bit.ly/2D8X6mp

Demand for infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific is surging and so too is the need to train the next generation of workers to construct and manage new infrastructure projects. In this podcast, Dr Sudhir Misra of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur discusses the skills gap in civil engineering in India, the importance of overcoming this common challenge to infrastructure growth and sustainable development in the region, and how it can be practically achieved. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/36wAk5A About the author Sudhir Misra, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur ADBI’s related publications Is There a Size-Induced Market Failure in Skills Training? https://bit.ly/2PMA4tf Skills Training by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Innovative Cases and the Consortium Approach in the Republic of Korea https://bit.ly/2Ni62vV Building Development Capacities in Asia and the Pacific: Good Practices and Ways Forward for ADBI’s Capacity Building Programs https://bit.ly/36AXSX6 Principles of Infrastructure: Case Studies and Best Practices https://bit.ly/2JPAM5c

Ulrich Volz of SOAS University of London recently visited ADBI to discuss his survey findings of 18 Asia Pacific central banks and regulatory authorities on the importance of incorporating climate and environmental risk into their operations and its potential role in scaling up green finance. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2MhguTM About the author Ulrich Volz is the Head of the Department of Economics and Reader in Economics, SOAS, University of London. ADBI’s recent publications on green finance https://bit.ly/2nM6ybz https://bit.ly/2OR2IsH

In this podcast, Bank of Papua New Guinea Governor Loi Bakani discusses how his country is leveraging technology to increase financial services access and use to fight poverty and improve living standards. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/2MmgzEH About the author Loi Bakani is the Governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea. ADBI’s recent publications on financial education https://bit.ly/30TYz9N https://bit.ly/33dmMtm