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Asia's Developing Future
By Asian Development Bank InstituteEducation
Asia's Developing Future episodes
- Blockchain technology could raise investments for green-energy projectsBlockchain technology may be used to finance local renewable-energy projects. The technology, which basically acts as an electronic ledger, allows transactions to be carried out between parties without interference by third parties like banks. It creates trust as it assures investors that all recorded transactions are secure because the data are stored in multiple blocks and therefore difficult to manipulate.Another way the combined approach can build trust is by ensuring that projects are evaluated by a third-party assessor, who then stores the findings in a project assessment database grounded on blockchain technology. The stored data cannot be changed.Economist Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary of Waseda University in Tokyo, ADBI Dean Naoyuki Yoshino, and economics graduate student Tim Schlober of the University of Bonn in Germany and Keio University in Tokyo explain the benefits of the financing scheme.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2pVzoDWRead the blog posthttps://www.asiapathways-adbi.org/2018/07/trust-by-design-investment-a-novel-blockchain-based-approach-to-ease-green-energy-investments/About the authorsFarhad Taghizadeh-Hesary is an economist of Waseda University in Tokyo.Naoyuki Yoshino is dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute.Tim Schlober is an economics graduate student of the University of Bonn in Germany and Keio University in Tokyo.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2Ad0EDvhttps://bit.ly/2EjArY65 min
- To change the world, tell a good story, says World Toilet Organization founderIf you have a good story, you can change the world. If your story makes people laugh, you have an even better chance at success.That’s the message of Jack Sim, who decided after a thriving business career to take on the issue of global sanitation. Expanding the use of toilets would help stop diseases spread by people defecating in the open. More toilets would also lead to more women going to school, since a lack of toilets is often a reason that girls don’t attend school.In 2001, Sim began building the World Toilet Organization to promote sanitation by expanding the use of toilets. The United Nations has since recognized an annual World Toilet Day and through its World Toilet Summit and other initiatives, Sim’s organization continues to spread the word.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2IL6O0kWatch the whole presentationhttps://bit.ly/2C6if1mAbout the speakerJack Sim is the founder of the Restroom Association of Singapore, the World Toilet Organization, the World Toilet Day initiative, and Bottom of the Pyramid Hub.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2pIycU9https://bit.ly/2A1V6vG6 min
- Asia and the Pacific need to do more to spur financial inclusionAsia and the Pacific need to ensure not only that more people have access to financial products and services but also that the poor can wield them to build wealth.While the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC broadly recognizes that financial inclusion is key to fighting poverty and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, more needs to be done to improve financial inclusion.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2Oj0rHRAbout the speakersLoi M. Bakani is governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea.Nobuhide Hayashi is Mizuho Bank chair and a member of Japan’s APEC Business Advisory Council.Michelle Curry is CEO of the Foundation for Development Cooperation, Australia.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2OTRrIMhttps://bit.ly/2E8lfgt8 min
- The Republic of Korea should help women enter and stay in the workforceThe Republic of Korea could improve its citizens’ overall well-being by tackling inequality in the workforce that has left women falling behind their male counterparts.A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development points out that on many measures the country remains well behind other OECD countries when it comes to the treatment of women in the workforce. Randall Jones, head of the Japan and Korea desk at the OECD, spoke on the issue at the Asian Development Bank Institute.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2zMgrsMAbout the speakerRandall Jones is head of the Japan and Korea desk of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2x0Xukuhttps://bit.ly/2NvNMA84 min
- Malaysia needs to take a long, hard look at state-linked firmsTo be or not to be?That is the question confronting Malaysia’s state-linked companies. Should the government sell its stake in them as they are embroiled in controversy after controversy?The issue becomes starker because the country’s government-linked firms account for about half the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index, and they constitute 7 out of the top-10 listed firms in 2018.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2NiFXJMRead the blog posthttps://www.asiapathways-adbi.org/2018/07/monsters-in-the-house-what-to-do-about-malaysias-government-linked-companies/About the authorJayant Menon is a lead economist at the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department of the Asian Development Bank, Manila.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2y6WTgJhttps://bit.ly/2Nddg0J5 min
- High-speed rail in the People’s Republic of China boosts market access and incomeThe fast growth of a high-speed rail network in the People’s Republic of China has widened market access and boosted incomes. Expanding access to high-speed rail even further would help solve some of the country’s toughest problems.Extending the network and improving access to it would benefit poorer parts of the country. The high-speed rail system has already helped offset some of the sharp divisions between rich and poor in China, a situation that often equates to an urban-rural divide.High-speed rail expansion has also taken some of the pressure off cities that are struggling with overpopulation and pollution, by making it easier for those cities to spread to less congested areas and for other centers to grow.Those are some of the conclusions of research done for the Asian Development Bank Institute that looked at the effects of the high-speed rail network on 110 cities in China.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2QVJH6ZRead the working paperhttps://bit.ly/2V8Hb27About the authorsWei Zou is a professor and director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Wuhan University in the People’s Republic of China.Liangheng Chen and Junke Xiong are associate researchers at the institute.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2ojI31Ohttps://bit.ly/2wp9hZq5 min
- Regulatory reform, willingness to fail needed for Republic of Korea small businessesSmall and medium-sized businesses in the Republic of Korea lag well behind their bigger counterparts in productivity, and the gap is getting wider.A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development suggested that the problems for SMEs are deeply entrenched.Randall Jones, head of the OECD’s Japan and Korea desk, explained the issues facing Korean SMEs at an event hosted by the Asian Development Bank Institute.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2OUpRb7About the speakerRandall Jones is head of the Japan and Korea desk of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2x0Xukuhttps://bit.ly/2NvNMA84 min
- Better financial literacy and inclusion would strengthen Azerbaijan’s financial sectorThe drop from peak oil prices is testing Azerbaijan’s economy and its people’s ability to adjust to a more modern financial system.For the decade from 2006 to 2016, few economies were as dynamic as Azerbaijan’s. Petroleum reserves brought boom times and the economy grew by 35% in the year 2006 alone.But the prosperity concealed a troubling undercurrent.When oil prices began dropping beginning in 2014, Azerbaijan’s economic resilience was tested.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2xtRsJxRead the working paperhttps://www.adb.org/publications/financial-inclusion-financial-literacy-and-financial-education-azerbaijanAbout the authorGubad Ibadoghlu is a senior policy analyst at the Scientific-Research Institute at Azerbaijan State University of Economics, Baku.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2PKHg64https://bit.ly/2NUBP777 min
- Improve competition, laws, and regulation to lessen role of chaebol in Republic of KoreaBig family business groups known as chaebol still dominate in the Republic of Korea, stifling the growth of other businesses and causing investors to look twice before putting money in the country.These huge diversified companies led the country’s emergence but have since become a drag on its growth.A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development looked at the issue. Randall Jones, head of the OECD’s Japan and Korea desk, suggested some ways to fix the problem at an event hosted by the Asian Development Bank Institute.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2MLS95pAbout the speakerRandall Jones is head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Japan and Korea desk.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2x0Xukuhttps://bit.ly/2NvNMA84 min
- Can we make money from waste?By 2050, half the world’s population will live in Asia and the Pacific. Each year, Asian cities’ total population increases by as many as 44 million people. In their wake are millions of tons of solid waste.The People’s Republic of China alone produces almost 150 million tons of waste every year, with the figure rising 8% to10% annually. India generates about 133,760 tons of solid waste per day, of which some 91,000 tons are collected and only around 26,000 tons treated.Economist Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary of Waseda University in Tokyo sums up the problem and the solution.Read the transcripthttps://bit.ly/2O8qVaRRead the post on ADBI’s bloghttps://www.asiapathways-adbi.org/2018/06/sustainable-funding-schemes-for-the-development-of-waste-management-projects-in-asia/About the authorsNaoyuki Yoshino is the dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute and professor emeritus at Keio University, Tokyo. Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary is an assistant professor of economics, Waseda University, Tokyo.Know more about ADBI’s workhttps://bit.ly/2O4KrVJWatch the related videohttps://bit.ly/2OMcNIH5 min
About Asia's Developing Future
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ADBI is the think tank of the Asian Development Bank. We conduct policy research and capacity building to drive sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
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