Feature Archive

ADBI ranked 10th best government-affiliated think tank^*

The annual Global Go To Think Tanks Report^* published by the University of Pennsylvania has rated ADBI the 10th best government-affiliated think tank in the world. The US Congressional Research Service was in first position, followed by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik SWP) and the World Bank Institute. The report surveyed 6,545 think tanks. Commenting on the report, ADBI Dean Masahiro Kawai said: "We are very pleased with ADBI's showing in this global ranking. Considering our relatively small resource base, ADBI has done well to be ranked above other much more generously financed and staffed research institutes. One of our goals is to try to improve on this position in future reports."

Asian migration analyzed at ADBI–OECD roundtable

Migration from and within Asia has grown in importance in recent decades. In 2009, 37% of all migration to the OECD area came from the Asia and Pacific region. A well-attended ADBI–OECD roundtable at ADBI on 18–20 January cast light on the economic and social implications of this huge movement of people from sending to receiving countries, including "irregular" labor migration, regulation of recruitment agencies, social protection for migrants, migration statistics, and the demographic causes and consequences of migration. A video of the opening remarks can be found here^*. This roundtable built on the foundation established at the first such meeting in January 2011. Read more.

Asia Pathways blog launched^*

ADBI has launched Asia Pathways^*, a blog covering economic and development issues in Asia and the Pacific. The opening posts include an introduction by ADBI Dean Masahiro Kawai, a proposal to restructure Japan's electric power industry by ADBI Visiting Fellow Masahiko Aoki, and a recommendation that the PRC should redirect money away from increasing external reserves toward social spending by former ADBI Senior Research Fellow Willem Thorbecke. Future posts will cover the impact of the eurozone crisis on Asia's medium- to long-term growth, the succession issue in North Korea, and social security and labor migration in ASEAN, among others. Guidelines for authors can be found here^*.

ADBI and the OECD team up

ADBI and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will co-host two conferences in January. Trade in audiovisual services, higher education, and financial services will be addressed at a meeting in Delhi, 18–19 January, which will discuss the regulatory environment in which service providers operate and the trade barriers that confront them in Asian markets. A second ADBI–OECD roundtable on labor migration in Asia will be held at ADBI, 18–20 January. A wide range of migration issues will be covered, including reducing migration costs and the costs of remittances, enhancing integration measures through effective social protection and social inclusion policies, and demographic causes and consequences of Asian migration.

Historical background to today's development issues in the PRC, Japan, and the Republic of Korea

A new ADBI working paper by ADBI visiting fellow Masahiko Aoki takes a historical approach to the development issues facing the PRC, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. After identifying five phases of economic development that are common to the three economies, the paper explains some of the marked differences in the onset, duration, and institutional forms of these phases across these economies. Finally, it highlights the relevance of these developmental discussions to the contemporary institutional agendas faced by the PRC and Japan, including the "middle income trap" and population aging. Read more.