Asia's Developing Future

Many governments and non-governmental entities are making ambitious pledges to reduce carbon emissions and move toward a global net-zero level by 2050 to fight climate change. Whether these goals can be achieved will depend on implementation work that verifies pledges are legitimate and not simply empty promises known as ‘greenwashing’. In this podcast, Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Chair of the High-level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, explains what policy makers can do to prevent greenwashing and accelerate carbon emissions reduction in Asia and the Pacific. Transcript: adbi.me/43oEOrZ

The “metaverse” is an emerging concept that could open the door to new service delivery and job creation. But what is the metaverse exactly and how could it affect developing economies in Asia and the Pacific? In this podcast, Beth Ann Lim, director of policy programs and campaigns at Meta Asia Pacific, and Professor Yong Lim at the Seoul National University AI Policy Initiative discuss the metaverse, its economic implications, and policy options to maximize its potential to support inclusive growth in the region. Transcript: adbi.me/3nQIGSz

The realization of carbon net-zero economies in Asia and beyond will depend on the capacity of sectors to adopt decarbonization solutions. In this podcast, Professor Frank Jotzo, Professor Llewelyn Hughes, and Dr Tom Longden from the Australian National University Crawford School of Public Policy discuss hydrogen’s potential to support the global transition to clean energy and the decarbonization of heavy industry sectors such as steel production. They also highlight policies and financing mechanisms that could help. Transcript: adbi.me/3ltgmFk

Fast-growing developing and emerging countries in Asia and beyond are facing the dual challenges of meeting increasing energy demand while tackling carbon emissions to fight climate change. In this podcast, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB) Chief Economist Erik Berglof describes policy tools a state can use to accelerate private sector-backed carbon net zero transition, such as state-owned financial institutions and private-public partnerships. He also explains how these tools can be integrated into national strategies to promote innovation and technology adoption. The discussion draws upon his ADBI Featured Speaker Webinar on state capacity and private sector mobilization toward net zero in emerging economies. Transcript: adbi.me/3RVe65e

COVID-19-induced school closures have significantly disrupted learning and contributed to learning losses that could have lasting socioeconomic impacts. In this podcast, Harvard University education professor Fernando Reimers examines the pandemic’s effects on education, disparities faced by developing countries, and lessons for mitigating future education disruptions. The discussion draws upon his ADBI Featured Speaker Webinar on building resilient education systems after the COVID-19 pandemic. Transcript: adbi.me/3kFlEwG

Supply chain disruptions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its economic impacts continue to undermine energy and food security. They are also prompting economies and businesses to rethink how they obtain critical raw materials and component parts. In this podcast, Alexander Plekhanov of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) discusses new research on the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on economies and global supply chains, highlighting mechanisms and policy options to restore economic activity and ingrain resilience. He also describes international trade effects for economies in Central Asia and the Caucasus and the factors behind them. The discussion draws upon his ADBI Featured Speaker Webinar on EBRD’s 2022-23 Transition Report on the policy implications of “business unusual” conditions in the global economy. Transcript: adbi.me/3CrHmds

Under the concept of “inclusive sanitation,” access to a safe and clean toilet is considered a right, not a privilege. Yet the world still has work to do to deliver sanitation for all by 2030, as targeted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and recent efforts to consider gender minorities in the sector are an emerging imperative. In this podcast, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Urban Development Specialist Alexandra Conroy, ADB Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist Shuvechha Khadka, and WaterAid’s Head of Policy and Advocacy Seema Rajouria discuss how gender identity affects sanitation users’ experiences in developing Asia and the Pacific, drawing upon case studies from Nepal. They also describe actions to make sanitation more inclusive for transgender people. Transcript: adbi.me/3v87aqO

Asia and the Pacific account for over 50% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing the urgent need for action to limit global warming to 1.5°C and fight climate change, governments in the region are increasingly committing to the ambitious target of net-zero carbon emissions by around mid-century. In this podcast, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Climate Envoy Warren Evans explains the benefits of climate change mitigation efforts to developing countries in Asia and the Pacific and discusses some solutions for achieving their carbon reduction commitments, and provides a blueprint for long-term emissions cuts critical to climate change mitigation and resilience. Read the transcript: adbi.me/3ALDqn8

The COVID-19 crisis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy security challenges, supply shortages, and soaring inflation continue to disrupt global trade and put economies worldwide under increasing pressure. In this podcast, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat Executive Director Rebecca Sta Maria explains APEC member economies’ efforts to rebuild supply chains and promote more inclusive and resilient trade growth in the face of high uncertainty. Read the transcript: adbi.me/3tlMD1h

In this podcast, Nobel laureate Michael Kremer, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, discusses digitalization experiences and lessons learned within the agricultural sector and prospects for digital rural and agricultural development. Transcript: adbi.me/3UzcXS5

Indonesia is the world’s fourth-largest producer of coal, Southeast Asia’s biggest gas supplier, and the largest biofuel producer globally, according to the International Energy Agency. Yet oil imports in Indonesia are increasing as incomes and consumption rise among the 250 million people of the archipelago, which holds the Group of 20 (G20) presidency in 2022 and will chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2023. In this podcast, ADBI’s Dina Azhgaliyeva, ASEAN Centre for Energy Executive Director Nuki Agya Utama, and Kuki Soejachmoen, co-chair of the climate and energy transition task force of the G20’s think tank engagement group, Think20 (T20), talk about energy transition in Asia and how Indonesia’s leadership in the G20 and ASEAN could shape energy transition cooperation. The discussion draws upon a T20-associated roundtable on energy transition financing that was held as part of the 43rd International Association of Energy Economics International Conference. Transcript: https://a

Asia and the Pacific is the world’s primary region for investment in low-carbon transition technologies. Despite recent growth trends, however, investment in clean energy still falls short of the level needed to meet global carbon emission reduction targets and fight climate change. In this podcast, ADBI’s Dina Azhgaliyeva and John Beirne, and Ranjeeta Mishra from the Reserve Bank of India explain the effect of government renewable energy policies on private investment, drawing upon developments in Asia and the Pacific. They also discuss possible next steps for stimulating private investment in renewable energy. The discussion draws upon their Climate Policy Journal article, "What Matters for Private Investment in Renewable Energy?" Transcript: https://adbi.me/3zWgujJ

Indonesia’s Group of 20 (G20) presidency in 2022 marks the start of three successive years in which the annual forum of the world’s largest economies will be hosted by developing countries, to be followed by India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024. In this podcast, Pramod Bhasin, Chair of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), discusses India’s G20 presidency countdown and policy imperatives. He also describes the outlook for Indonesia, India, and Brazil’s G20 presidencies and their potential significance for the global economy. Read the transcript: https://adbi.me/3d3Kp1O

The Think7, or T7, is the think tank engagement group of the Group of 7 (G7) launched under Germany’s 2022 G7 presidency. In this podcast, ADBI Dean Tetsushi Sonobe, Co-Chair of the T7 Task Force on Sustainable Economic Recovery, and ADBI’s John Beirne and Dina Azhgaliyeva discuss the role and future of the T7. This includes its capacity to support partnership between the G7 and emerging economies in Asia and the Pacific, and globally, and the implications for sustainable development. Read the transcript: https://adbi.me/3nsdqGd

Benjamin Diokno started his appointment as Governor of Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas, or BSP, in March 2019. He has spent much of his term as head of the Philippine central bank guiding the country’s economy through the COVID-19 crisis. In this podcast, Governor Diokno discusses the Philippines’ post-pandemic recovery, which he says is well underway and proceeding faster than expected. Designated as the next Finance Secretary of the Philippines, he also describes next steps to sustain the economy’s momentum in the face of new challenges. The discussion draws upon his ADBI Featured Speaker Webinar on the Macroeconomy, Fintech, and Sustainable Recovery amid New Uncertainties. Read the transcript: https://adbi.me/3mZNCkm

In this podcast, Vegard Skirbekk of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Columbia University describes a new measure of aging burden that takes into account age-related health – the health adjusted dependency ratio. Skirbekk explains how this indicator overturns common assumptions about the population aging burden and its impacts across countries reflected in the traditional old-age dependency ratio. He also describes the policy significance, especially in countries with young but rapidly aging populations, including those in developing Asia. Read the transcript: https://adbi.me/3LuupRF

In this episode of Asia’s Developing Future, Keio University professor Sayuri Shirai, a former Bank of Japan Policy Board member and ADBI visiting fellow from 2016 to 2020, explains the role of developing Asia’s central banks in reviving economic growth while dealing with volatile capital outflows. She provides historical perspective and addresses shifts stemming from increasing interest rates and climate change risk. She also explains ways to blend risk to attract more private investment for sustainable energy and infrastructure development in the region. Read the transcript: https://adbi.me/36PMHPh

In 2022, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) is observing the 25th anniversary of its founding as the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Tokyo-based think tank under the theme Toward Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development in Asia and the Pacific. In this episode of Asia’s Developing Future, Keio University professor Naoyuki Yoshino, ADBI Dean from 2014-2020 and a longtime finance official for the Government of Japan, discusses ways to effectively translate innovative policy research into government action. He draws upon his experience as chair of the Group of 20’s think tank engagement group, the Think20 (T20), during Japan’s 2019 G20 presidency. He goes on to explain how policy researchers can leverage their work to boost economic recovery in Asia and the Pacific. Read the transcript: https://adbi.me/3vruXSl

Research has shown that when more women work, economies grow. Women’s economic empowerment also boosts productivity, income equality, and development outcomes. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a cloud over the economic outlook for women. In this podcast, ADBI Capacity Building and Training Economist Pitchaya Sirivunnabood describes the impacts of COVID-19 on women in the economy and policy next steps in Asia, including the importance of addressing gender gaps in digital literacy, social investment, and regulation. The discussion draws upon her recommendations presented to policy makers from the region during a recent Healthy Women, Healthy Economies conference organized by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC. Read the transcript https://adbi.me/3wRP26K

In 2022, the Asian Development Bank Institute is observing the 25th anniversary of its founding as the Asian Development Bank’s Tokyo-based think tank under the theme Toward Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development in Asia and the Pacific. In this episode of Asia’s Developing Future, the Australian National University’s Peter McCawley, ADBI Dean from 2003-2007, discusses developing Asia and the Pacific’s policy imperatives in the face of transformational change and new risks and how these factors drove ADBI’s creation. He also explains the importance of ensuring regional peace and stability for effective physical and human development and how think tanks can address this urgent need. Read the transcript: https://adbi.me/3JCrcja