Charting Sri Lanka's Aging Population
These charts illustrate how Sri Lanka’s elderly population is increasing while the number of working-age people to help support them is declining. Forward-thinking policies are needed to address the challenges arising from this imbalance.
Closing the Gap – Policy Options for Tackling Inequality
Recently IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde noted: “In too many countries, the benefits of growth are being enjoyed by far too few people”. She was making the point that high levels of inequality are a global concern.
Community-Driven Development for Effective Disaster Response in the Philippines
Poverty and natural disasters are intertwined. Both, however, can be addressed together through the community-driven development approach to disaster preparedness, as we have learned in the Philippines.
Countries and Migrant Workers Pay High Price for the Benefits of Remittances
Every year, millions of people cross borders to work abroad. People migrate for various reasons, but for the majority of migrant workers, they are compelled by poverty and lack of job opportunities in their home countries.
Countries in Asia and the Pacific Need to Work Together to Support Migrants
Migration in the Asia-Pacific region is diverse and enduring. It cannot be handled by one country alone. Regional cooperation is needed.
COVID-19 is Boosting Inequality but Government Policies can Help
The pandemic has worsened inequality on many fronts. Pro-active macroeconomic policy combined with labor retraining programs and increased social protection are needed.
COVID-19 is Sending Millions of Overseas Workers Back into Southeast Asia’s Rural Areas
With the right policies, enough jobs can be created to employ returning workers and creating the opportunity for a new era in agricultural entrepreneurship in the region.
COVID-19 Shows That Resilient Cities Start with Better Livelihoods for the Poor
Enabling poor households to become more resilient is key to achieving healthy, vibrant and diverse cities of the future.
Creating a Digital Path for the Unbanked
In the Philippines, cloud-based technology is being used to address the financial exclusion that helps fuel poverty and inequality.
Creating Fiscal Space for Social Protection Programs in Asia
Countries in developing Asia can extend basic and robust levels of social protection to the “missing middle,” but whether there’s enough political to do so is another matter.