Timor-Leste Covid-19 Household Cash Transfer
January 12, 2021The Timorese government provided a US$200 cash transfer to around 300,000 households that earn under US$500 per month in all its 452 villages in response to the economic shock brought about by COVID-19. The research focused on measuring the Covid-19 household payment on the needs of vulnerable Timorese people, and the impacts of the household payment towards the power of…
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Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands – Fall 2020
January 12, 2021PERIPHERAL VISION: Views from the Borderlands sheds light on how political, security and socio-economic developments affect the people living in contested borderlands and, reversely, how border dynamics shape change and transition at the national level. In this Fall 2020 issue, we cover: Local conflict drivers and violent extremism in the Southern Philippines The importance of cross-border armed groups to Sudan’s…
Contemporary Economic and Social Policy for Inclusive Growth
January 4, 2021In many developing countries, the second decade of the new millennium came to an end with rapid economic growth and technological progress but also with widening income inequality and severe environmental pollution. Income inequality and environmental pollution are often dismissed as inevitable costs of economic and technological growth. The global community, however, increasingly promotes inclusive growth, defined as “economic growth…
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North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs in South Korea: Unveiling Korea’s Hidden Potential
December 30, 2020More than 33,000 refugees from North Korea today live in South Korea, and half of them aspire to become entrepreneurs. To date, there has been limited data and understanding regarding Korean refugee entrepreneurs and their circumstances. North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs in South Korea: Unveiling Korea’s Hidden Potential, by The Asia Foundation in partnership with Woorion, is a report surveying 131…
The Governance of Public Procurement in Myanmar’s States and Regions
December 28, 2020Public procurement is a critical pillar of an effective and responsive government. Myanmar is in the midst of a major upgrade to the legal and regulatory rules that govern public procurement. To contribute to the policy discussions around how to operationalize a new public procurement law, this joint policy brief with The Sandhi Governance Institute explores the under-investigated role of…
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Myanmar Business Environment Index: Covid-19 Impact on Businesses
December 15, 2020Apart from the direct health impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the crisis and measures to combat it have hit the economy hard. In Myanmar, as part of the Myanmar Business Environment Index (MBEI) project, The Asia Foundation conducted two surveys of 750 businesses to see what kind of impact Covid-19 is having on them. The first one was conducted in…
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2020 General Election: State and Region Hluttaws
December 15, 2020Following this year’s General Election and the UEC’s release of the official results, The Asia Foundation has produced the attached short brief detailing the new composition of Myanmar’s state and region hluttaws(parliaments). Beyond the strong performance of the NLD, the brief notes improved women’s representation in the state/region hluttaws, the noteworthy composition of the Shan and Rakhine state hluttaws, and…
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Official Action: A Roadmap for Using Behavioral Science in Public Administration Reform
December 11, 2020The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for innovative approaches to government reform as public institutions around the world struggle to perform basic functions like coordinating timely public information campaigns, steering economic resources to those who need them, and procuring essential medical and protective equipment and supplies. Official Action shows that these failures are not simply due to a lack of…
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ASEAN Rapid Assessment: The Impact of Covid-19 on Livelihoods across ASEAN
December 9, 2020The ASEAN Rapid Assessment is a product of the partnership between The ASEAN Secretariat and The Asia Foundation and with support from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It has informed the development of ASEAN post-2020 sectoral work plans as well as the Implementation Plan of ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework. This report aims…
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A Survey of the Afghan Returnees 2019
December 3, 2020This Survey is the second in a three-year long project designed to broaden knowledge surrounding the unique challenges and experiences of returnees and host communities across Afghanistan. In 2019, 4,033 returnees and host community members were interviewed, culminating in a combined total of 16,033 returnees and host community members surveyed on a range of issues in 2018 and 2019. Perceptions…
