Over 200 new identification cards were distributed by Governor Kanjana Keeman to Thai citizens at a ceremony held in Ranong province on Tuesday, March 25th. The new I.D. card holders are participants of a major initiative led by The Asia Foundation’s Tsunami Rights and Legal Aid Referral Center (T-LAC) program, which provided free DNA testing and guidance to each family through the application process. In addition, 200 children were added to their family’s household registration list, which will automatically qualify them for a state I.D. card once they reach the legal age of 15.
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By Bruce Tolentino and Thupten Norbu

Bruce Tolentino is The Asia Foundation’s Director for Economic Reform and Development Programs; Thupten Norbu is an Economic Reform and Development Program Assistant for the Foundation. Bruce Tolentino can be reached at btolentino@asiafound.org.

Across the globe, food prices have soared. Between 2006 and 2007, the price of rice doubled in Bangladesh. In Mexico, corn meal prices are up 60 percent since 2006. At the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, wheat hit $24 per bushel in early 2008, in contrast to just $3 to $7 in 2003. On Monday, March 24th, the United Nation’s World Food Program issued an emergency appeal for additional funds to cope with the “aggressive rise in grains prices” which now constrain their relief and anti-hunger operations. UN Food and Agricultural Organization statistics show that across the globe the price of rice has more than doubled over the last six years.
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By Anthea Mulakala

Anthea Mulakala is The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Malaysia. She can be reached at amulakala@asiafound.org.

The Economist last week featured a telling pie chart on Malaysia’s 12th general election results. It revealed, without analysis, that Malaysia’s Barisan National (BN) coalition has the electorate in Sabah and Sarawak to thank for saving its narrow majority in parliament. While the BN was toppled in key states like Penang and Selangor, there was barely a ripple in voter trends in Malaysia’s eastern most states. Almost all BN candidates in both states won with a solid majority. The BN has been the ruling coalition in Malaysia since 1974, though its dominant party the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has been in the governing seat since independence in 1957.

These often ignored states are now enjoying the limelight as kingmakers for the BN and are well placed to cash in on the attention.
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By Terry Foecke and Chris Plante

Terry Foecke is Senior Environmental Consultant at The Asia Foundation; Chris Plante is The Asia Foundation’s Environment Programs Director, and can be reached at cplante@asiafound.org.

Current funding and project trends to improve environmental governance in Asia focus on activism, increased enforcement of environmental regulations, public participation, and intergovernmental efforts to address transboundary environmental issues. Yet, an environmental protection model of activism and enforcement often ignores too many realities of developing economies. During more than 50 years of program work in developing Asian economies on governance and law, economic development, and the environment, The Asia Foundation has found that the existing governance systems and policy instruments often support polluting and environmentally destructive practices.

The Foundation’s Environment Program integrates and supports activist and enforcement approaches, but it also adds a third way: emphasizing a realignment of political and economic incentives and collaborative public policy. The fundamental problem is that, by its very nature, the status quo approach to environmental protection slows growth. Pollution control and cleanup drains resources away from short-term productivity and places resources into long-term investments like protected lands and forests, clean water, and clean air.
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By Allen Choate

Allen Choate is The Asia Foundation’s Vice President for Partners in Asian Development. He can be reached at achoate@asiafound.org.

On Saturday, March 22nd, Taiwan’s 17 million voters will cast their ballots for a new president to succeed the incumbent Chen Shui-bian. All of the surveys show the KMT (Nationalist) party candidate, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, far ahead of his opponent, Frank Hsieh, the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) nominee, with a lead of around 20 points.

In 2000, after a half century of rule, the KMT lost control of the Taiwan government to the DPP. Ma’s large lead indicates the KMT is maintaining its positive momentum following its defeat of the DPP in the highly significant legislative elections in January. The KMT took 81 seats while the DPP was only able to secure 27, giving the KMT an absolute majority in the legislature. If Ma is elected, as the polls indicate, he will have a comfortable legislative majority to enact his policies.

The Nationalist Party’s resurgence revolves around the people’s concerns with the economy.
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By Steven Rood

Steven Rood is The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in the Philippines. He can be reached at srood@asiafound.org.

Last Monday, March 10, the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) in Hong Kong stated in its annual survey of corruption that, “for the second consecutive year, the Philippines has the dubious distinction of being the worst rated country.” (For an analysis of last year’s rating, click here.)

On the very next day, word was received that in Washington, D.C. the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) judged the Philippines “Compact Eligible” for a large poverty reduction grant based on, among other things, an acceptable “control of corruption” score. “The MCC Board lauded the Arroyo government efforts in fighting corruption in three MCC-funded programs focused on “˜helping curb corruption through improved tax and customs administration and strengthening of their Ombudsman’s Office.’”

What’s going on? There are two kinds of explanations for this apparent contradiction ” the first sort is technical and the second sort is much more political.
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San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Berkeley, CA – March 26, 2008
Palo Alto, CA – March 27, 2008
San Francisco, CA – March 28, 2008
Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2008

The Asia Foundation has pioneered a tool called the local “Economic Governance Index” (EGI) as a way to measure business-friendliness of local governments in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. The EGI highlights the provinces that are most open to private enterprise and least encumbered by red-tape when it comes to business start-up, for example: entry and licensing costs, inspections and registration waiting periods, transparency, and access to training and legal institutions.

The governments of these provinces have embraced the EGI as a tool to help them measure local reforms and government performance, and there has been  increased public attention when index standings are announced, resulting in healthy competition among provinces. As a result, businesses and entrepreneurs have begun to see the index as a useful means of deciding where to put businesses. A team of economic experts are hosting a series of programs this Spring on this important effort to support increased business activity through the use of the Economic Governance Index. We hope you are able to join one of the presentations.

Expert Speakers:
Bruce Tolentino, Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs at The Asia Foundation, San Francisco
Edmund Malesky, Asia Foundation partner and Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego
Veronique Salze-Lozac’h, Regional Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs, The Asia Foundation, Cambodia
Neil McCulloch, Director of Economic Programs, The Asia Foundation, Indonesia

RSVP: Please contact info@asiafound-dc.org for more information with your name, affiliation, and contact information.

San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Berkeley, CA – March 26, 2008
Palo Alto, CA – March 27, 2008
San Francisco, CA – March 28, 2008
Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2008

The Asia Foundation has pioneered a tool called the local “Economic Governance Index” (EGI) as a way to measure business-friendliness of local governments in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. The EGI highlights the provinces that are most open to private enterprise and least encumbered by red-tape when it comes to business start-up, for example: entry and licensing costs, inspections and registration waiting periods, transparency, and access to training and legal institutions.

The governments of these provinces have embraced the EGI as a tool to help them measure local reforms and government performance, and there has been  increased public attention when index standings are announced, resulting in healthy competition among provinces. As a result, businesses and entrepreneurs have begun to see the index as a useful means of deciding where to put businesses. A team of economic experts are hosting a series of programs this Spring on this important effort to support increased business activity through the use of the Economic Governance Index. We hope you are able to join one of the presentations.

Expert Speakers:
Bruce Tolentino, Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs at The Asia Foundation, San Francisco
Edmund Malesky, Asia Foundation partner and Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego
Veronique Salze-Lozac’h, Regional Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs, The Asia Foundation, Cambodia
Neil McCulloch, Director of Economic Programs, The Asia Foundation, Indonesia

RSVP: Please reply by March 19, 2008 to rsvp@asiafound.org or 415 743-3347
with your name, affiliation, contact information, and the location/date of the one EGI presentation you would like to attend.

San Francisco – Friday, March 28, 2008: noon”2:00 pm

Lunch included
The Asia Foundation’s Haydn Williams Conference Room
465 California Street, 8th floor, San Francisco
Co-sponsored by Cal-Asia Business Council

San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Berkeley, CA – March 26, 2008
Palo Alto, CA – March 27, 2008
San Francisco, CA – March 28, 2008
Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2008

The Asia Foundation has pioneered a tool called the local “Economic Governance Index” (EGI) as a way to measure business-friendliness of local governments in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. The EGI highlights the provinces that are most open to private enterprise and least encumbered by red-tape when it comes to business start-up, for example: entry and licensing costs, inspections and registration waiting periods, transparency, and access to training and legal institutions.

The governments of these provinces have embraced the EGI as a tool to help them measure local reforms and government performance, and there has been  increased public attention when index standings are announced, resulting in healthy competition among provinces. As a result, businesses and entrepreneurs have begun to see the index as a useful means of deciding where to put businesses. A team of economic experts are hosting a series of programs this Spring on this important effort to support increased business activity through the use of the Economic Governance Index. We hope you are able to join one of the presentations.

Expert Speakers:
Bruce Tolentino, Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs at The Asia Foundation, San Francisco
Edmund Malesky, Asia Foundation partner and Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego
Veronique Salze-Lozac’h, Regional Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs, The Asia Foundation, Cambodia
Neil McCulloch, Director of Economic Programs, The Asia Foundation, Indonesia

RSVP: Please reply by March 19, 2008 to rsvp@asiafound.org or 415 743-3347
with your name, affiliation, contact information, and the location/date of the one EGI presentation you would like to attend.

Palo Alto – Thursday, March 27, 2008: 4:30″6:00pm

Stanford University’s Donald L. Lucas Conference Center
Corner of Galvez and Serra Streets, Stanford University Campus, Palo Alto
Co-sponsored by Stanford’s Center for International Development

San Francisco Area and Washington, D.C.
Berkeley, CA – March 26, 2008
Palo Alto, CA – March 27, 2008
San Francisco, CA – March 28, 2008
Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2008

The Asia Foundation has pioneered a tool called the local “Economic Governance Index” (EGI) as a way to measure business-friendliness of local governments in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. The EGI highlights the provinces that are most open to private enterprise and least encumbered by red-tape when it comes to business start-up, for example: entry and licensing costs, inspections and registration waiting periods, transparency, and access to training and legal institutions.

The governments of these provinces have embraced the EGI as a tool to help them measure local reforms and government performance, and there has been  increased public attention when index standings are announced, resulting in healthy competition among provinces. As a result, businesses and entrepreneurs have begun to see the index as a useful means of deciding where to put businesses. A team of economic experts are hosting a series of programs this Spring on this important effort to support increased business activity through the use of the Economic Governance Index. We hope you are able to join one of the presentations.

Expert Speakers:
Bruce Tolentino, Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs at The Asia Foundation, San Francisco
Edmund Malesky, Asia Foundation partner and Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego
Veronique Salze-Lozac’h, Regional Director of Economic Reform and Development Programs, The Asia Foundation, Cambodia
Neil McCulloch, Director of Economic Programs, The Asia Foundation, Indonesia

RSVP: Please reply by March 19, 2008 to rsvp@asiafound.org or 415 743-3347
with your name, affiliation, contact information, and the location/date of the one EGI presentation you would like to attend. Space is limited at all locations. You will be sent a confirmation within 2 business days of your request.

Berkeley – Wednesday, March 26, 2008: 10:00 am-1:00 pm

Lunch included
UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) Library
109 Moses Hall, U.C. Berkeley Campus, Berkeley
Co-sponsored by Center for South Asia Studies, Center for Southeast Asia Studies, and Institute of Governmental Studies