GovAsia – More than the Sum of Their Remittances

Welcome to Issue 1.2 of GovAsia. Published four times a year, GovAsia provides a platform for The Asia Foundation and its partners to examine the critical social, economic, and political problems facing citizens and governments across Asia, drawing on the Foundation’s daily engagement with politically rooted development challenges. GovAsia aims to facilitate thoughtful debate and build consensus for solutions to the most pressing governance issues facing the region today.

In this issue, we explore the challenges and opportunities lower-middle income countries in Asia face in the wake of mass reverse migration movements in 2020, brought about by Covid-19. Can governments respond to the unprecedented number of returned migrant workers in ways that benefit migrant workers and their families, contribute to Covid response and recovery, and build stronger policy frameworks for future migration cycles?