Myanmar Governance Discussion Paper Series

Public 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 Institut… Read more

Apart 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… Read more

Following 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… Read more

The Asia Foundation initiated the first ever Myanmar Business Environment Index (MBEI) in 2018, surveying 4,874 Myanmar businesses in the service and manufacturing industries across the country and gathering a multitude of other hard data to map a more comprehensive, in-depth picture of the challenges they face and where government can target refor… Read more

The rapid expansion of cities in Myanmar increases the importance of research on the well-being of urban residents. This discussion paper provides quantitative analysis of urban migration and the difficulties faced by urban migrants. The findings corroborate much of the existing research on urban migration in Myanmar, while challenging some of the… Read more

In Myanmar, the recently released Overcoming as One: Covid-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP) sets out the Union government’s economic response to Covid-19, ranging from action on personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement to direct cash transfers to households. The CERP outlines an ambitious economic response to Covid-19 and provides a useful too… Read more

The transition to e-government and digital means of data collection, storage, analysis and use provides the Government of Myanmar with a unique opportunity to rethink ways of working, and develop a local data ecosystem that generates quality data and strengthens the work of government. Over the past five years, The Asia Foundation has been working… Read more

In Myanmar, the establishment of state and region governments in 2010 introduced new actors at the subnational level. Today state and region governments increasingly matter, demonstrating increased competence while undertaking expanded roles and responsibilities. This report looks in greater detail at how Myanmar’s changing governance parameters ar… Read more

In 2018 The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the Yangon School of Political Science, rolled out the City Life Survey (CLS) following a successful pilot in 2017. The Asia Foundation invited research experts to take a deeper dive into the 2018 CLS, to contextualize and triangulate its findings against other sources of evidence. Public Finances an… Read more

In 2018 The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the Yangon School of Political Science, rolled out the City Life Survey (CLS) following a successful pilot in 2017. The Asia Foundation invited research experts to take a deeper dive into the 2018 CLS, to contextualize and triangulate its findings against other sources of evidence. Not Enough Time: I… Read more

While governments may bear ultimate responsibility for the provision of a service, the question arises whether government should directly provide that service, or whether it could be better provided and managed by private contractors, community groups or individuals. This is one of the most important policy decisions that municipalities must make…. Read more

Findings from the 2019 Myanmar Business Environment Index In 2019, The Asia Foundation released the first ever Myanmar Business Environment Index (MBEI). This wealth of data provided an opportunity for additional research to look deeper into the topic. Good Practice in Subnational Economic Governance in Myanmar: Findings from the 2019 Myanmar Busin… Read more

This report examines the actors engaged in economic governance in Myanmar, the factors that shape their authority, and the ways they can contribute to improved economic governance outcomes. It connects the MBEI, which focuses on the views and experiences of Myanmar businesses, with The Asia Foundation’s work on governance, particularly reports such… Read more

Since 2015, more budget data is publicly available in Myanmar. In response, this brief on Budget Analysis aims to provide an updated assessment on what analysis of Myanmar budget documents is possible. Authored by Roger Shotton, the brief reminds readers why budgets and budget analysis are important, and provides a brief introduction to budgets and… Read more

Subnational governments worldwide are generally mandated with spending responsibilities that cost more than can be financed from revenues they can raise on their own. In response, central governments provide additional funding support from their own budget in the form of fiscal transfers to allow adequate levels of local spending. In 2015-16, as a… Read more

This report is a companion to the State and Region Government in Myanmar report, looking in greater detail at how the financing arrangements for local public investment and service delivery in Myanmar occur in practice, and exploring differences among state/regions and between sectors. The research draws from new fieldwork carried out in three stat… Read more

Gender budgeting (also known as Gender Responsive Budgeting) has been described as “…an approach to budgeting that uses fiscal policy and administration to promote gender equality, and girls’ and women’s development.” More specifically, gender budgeting initiatives typically aim to: use gender-sensitive analysis to understand female and male citize… Read more

This study is a companion to the State and Region Governments in Myanmar report, looking in greater detail at how planning and budgeting in Myanmar occurs in practice, including differences among state/regions and sectors. The research draws from new fieldwork carried out in three states over three months in early 2019, which seeks to understand ho… Read more

Measuring Economic Governance for Private Sector Development The Economic Governance Index (EGI) is a tool that has become widely accepted by governments to understand economic growth, attract investors, and engage in public-private sector dialogue. The Myanmar Business Environment Index (MBEI) follows in this tradition by adapting the EGI model to… Read more

This report is a companion report to State and Region Governments in Myanmar, covering the subnational aspects of Myanmar’s energy sector. The Asia Foundation has been providing support and technical assistance to seven states and regions, and has been conducting training with all 14 of the states and regions, with the aim of building technical cap… Read more

The City Life Survey (CLS) is the first of its kind in Myanmar. It is a multi-year, multi-city public perception survey to support policy-makers improve the well-being of urban residents. The 2018 CLS asked 2,400 respondents of Yangon, Mandalay, Taunggyi, Mawlamyine and Monywa 135 questions on their personal, economic, physical, interpersonal well-… Read more

For decades, Myanmar was governed by a small military elite, accused of acting solely in their own interests. The introduction of a new constitution in 2008 was a dramatic and significant development, creating 14 new state and region governments and parliaments and the promise of democratic participation by a more diverse range of actors. At its he… Read more

In September 2013, The Asia Foundation published its first report on Myanmar, State and Region Governments in Myanmar. The report provoked a great deal of interest in subnational governance from government, civil society, donors, and development partners. Since then, 38 reports from the Foundation have looked in greater detail at issues of subnatio… Read more

In Myanmar, there is a general attitude that issues affecting women fall exclusively under the purview of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement. This policy paper explores how gender mainstreaming in subnational governance can take place outside of what is typically considered women-centric policy domains in Myanmar, using the fi… Read more

The Urban Safety Brief Series aims to provide Myanmar policymakers at national and local levels, and other interested stakeholders, with analysis and examples of policies and practices, which potentially could be applied or adapted to enhance people’s safety in urban areas in Myanmar. The Asia Foundation has a wider policy research agenda looking a… Read more

Given the lack of reliable data in Myanmar as well as government’s lack of experience with city planning, complex urbanization issues are becoming significant challenges to policymakers. This pilot City Life Survey is the beginning of a project that is intended to shine light on what Myanmar’s cities are like as places to work and live. It is the f… Read more

Since 2011, Myanmar has undergone a daunting transition from entrenched military rule to a more democratic form of governance that can address longstanding political, economic and social fissures. As the transition continues, what has become increasingly clear is that one of the biggest challenges for the government is how to solve technical proble… Read more

In 2017 The Asia Foundation and the Yangon School of Political Science conducted the City Life Survey, the first large scale survey in Myanmar to track public perceptions and lived experiences of urban life. More specifically, the survey provides the Foundation with data to systematically assess the tax attitudes of urban citizens in Myanmar and to… Read more

This paper discusses how budget monitoring and oversight are currently practiced in Myanmar. We hope the insights provided in this report would be useful to inform government, civil society organizations, and development partners will help inform the ongoing public discourse and interventions aimed at improving public financial management in Myanma… Read more

This report describes the characteristics and constraints of aid in Myanmar. It provides a historical grounding on international development cooperation, an overview of current trends in aid provision, and analysis of particularly challenging policy areas. The report draws on interviews conducted between June 2016 and June 2017 and survey data whic… Read more

A glossary for practitioners.

Women have a critical role to play in the development of Myanmar, but they face a broad range of challenges including low skills, limited employment opportunities, and inadequate representation and participation in governance. In response, The Asia Foundation is committed to gender equality in its program in Myanmar and works with the government, c… Read more

Sixty years of military rule in Myanmar has seen the critical role of women’s political participation marginalized. From an extremely low base, the 2010 general elections increased the opportunity for women’s participation in governance. The 2015 general elections presented another opportunity for a more inclusive representational government, and M… Read more

This report reviews the organizational structure and functioning and legislative performance of the Union Parliament since 2011, and compares the two legislatures elected in 2010 (Union Solidarity and Development Party) and 2015 (National League for Democracy). Currently, the legislature’s ability to direct policymaking is weak, and its understandi… Read more

With over a third of the Myanmar’s population living in urban areas, the governance of towns and cities is of increasing importance. With rising rates of urbanization and population growth, urban services are a critical interface between citizens and government. Outside of Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw, urban agencies called Development Affairs… Read more

Effective subnational public financial management is essential if state and region governments are to achieve their potential in addressing local and national policy development priorities, including the delivery of public services in their areas of jurisdiction. This report provides a foundation for a better understanding of the current subnationa… Read more

This note asks how Myanmar’s democratically elected government can improve policymaking processes. It summarizes internationally recognized properties of good policies before considering how policymaking happens in Myanmar and proposing measures to adopt in the future. Burmese version

This note considers how policy institutes can systematically and effectively support policy processes in Myanmar. Opportunities for improved policymaking have grown following reforms and the gradual introduction of democracy. The November 2015 elections in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide created further potential to… Read more

Given the enormous potential for real change in Myanmar and because women still face many challenges in their ability to participate in the decision making process, it is important that the inclusivity and equality of governance is not sidelined but remains central in the public discourse. In this context, The Asia Foundation (the Foundation) is pl… Read more