Regional cooperation and integration

In Southeast Asia, monetary policy is doing the heavy lifting during times of trade tensions. Photo: Gede Suhendra

Why are interest rates falling in Southeast Asia?

Southeast Asian economies are starting to feel the pinch of trade tensions, recession fears and other global trends.

The proliferation of FTDs: free trade disagreements

Simmering trade disputes are decreasing the beneficial effects of free trade and could in the long-term damage the rules-based order upon which global commerce is based.

Jayant Menon

Clear benchmarks and performance indicators are helping governments in Southeast Asia serve their people better. Photo: Braden Jarvis

Helping governments improve performance

Performance assessments help people in Southeast Asia determine how well their government is performing and how they can be improved.

Woochong Um, Marcos Bonturi

Asia’s increasingly healthy elderly population is working later in life. Photo: ADB

Asia’s vibrant elderly are redefining what it means to be “old”

The Asia and Pacific region is aging rapidly, and that is affecting the region’s workforce, but increased longevity is adding an unexpected element to the picture

Cyn-Young Park, Aiko Kikkawa Takenaka, Raymond Gaspar

The taxing of skilled and unskilled migrant workers could have a significant impact on labor exporting countries.

Is it time for some countries to implement a brain drain tax?

A tax on migrating workers compensates the exporting country for loss of the human capital created by its education and skills development programs.

Dr. Saibal Kar

Easing the movement of skilled and semi-skilled labor across borders could have enormous benefits for Southeast Asia.

At your service: trade liberalization could bring huge benefits to Southeast Asia

Making it easier for workers to move between countries is key to liberalizing the trade in services and unleashing the benefits it will produce across national and regional economies.

Kakali Mukhopadhyay

The WTO’s new Trade Finance Agreement could have significant impacts on regional and global trade.

Let’s make it easier for countries to trade

The World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement provides a roadmap for developing economies to increase trade while also increasing the benefits it provides to their citizens.

Utsav Kumar, Ben Shepherd

The interconnected global manufacturing system has wide-ranging positive social impacts that are not yet fully understood.

Strengthening the chains that helped pull Asia out of poverty

The global value chains that help drive Asia’s export-driven economic miracle have widespread development impacts. We need to understand them better to maximize the benefits.

Bambang Susantono