Books published by Asian Development Bank

Growth prospects in developing Asia are on the rise, buoyed by a rebound in global trade as solid recovery takes hold in the major industrial economies, and by strong investment demand. Also lifting regional prospects is growth in the People's Republic of China that exceeds expectations. Consumer prices are contained, and external balances under control, as global food and oil prices recover modestly. Risks to the outlook have become more balanced since April forecasts in this series. The advanced economies have so far avoided sharp, unexpected changes to their macroeconomic policies. Further, the fuel price rise is providing fiscal relief to oil exporters but is measured enough not to destabilize oil importers. To meet the region's infrastructure needs, developing Asia must mobilize $1.7 trillion annually. However, even factoring in funds saved through public finance reform or received from multilateral agencies, a significant financing gap remains. This Update highlights how public-private partnership can help fill the financing gap and improve infrastructure delivery by allocating risk to the party best able to manage it. Public-private partnership effectively marshals the private sector's most valued strengths to meet public sector objectives. Where appropriately implemented, this innovative tool can yield superior development results.

This document was prepared as a supplement to the Asian Water Development Outlook 2016. It provides background information and explanatory notes on the approach taken, assumptions made, and data used. The methodology itself has been developed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in cooperation with reputed scientific institutes who have co-authored the individual reports for each of the five key dimensions of water security. These five reports are integrated into this methodology report. This study was supported by ADB's Water Financing Partnership Facility.

The 47th edition of this series, includes the latest available economic, financial, social, and environmental indicators for the 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank. It presents the latest key statistics on development issues concerning the economies of Asia and the Pacific to a wide audience, including policy makers, development practitioners, government officials, researchers, students, and the general public. Part I of this issue presents the current status of economies of Asia and the Pacific with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals based on selected indicators from the global indicator framework. Part II comprises statistical indicators that capture economic, financial, social, and environmental developments. Part III presents key statistics and stylized facts on the phenomenon of global value chains.

The Asian Water Development Outlook charts progress in water security in Asia and the Pacific over the past 5 years. This 2016 edition of the report uses the latest available data to assess water security in five key dimensions: household access to piped potable water and improved sanitation, economic water security, providing better urban water services to build more livable cities, restoring healthy rivers and ecosystems, and resilience to water disasters. The region shows a positive trend in strengthening water security since the 2013 edition of the report, when 38 out of 49 countries were assessed as water-insecure. In 2016, that number dropped to 29 out of 48 countries. This study was supported by ADB's Water Financing Partnership Facility.

Analyses economic performance in the past year and offers forecasts for the next two years for the 45 economies in Asia and the Pacific that make up developing Asia. This edition highlights the need to invigorate developing Asia's potential growth, whose decline since its 2007 peak explains much of the region's growth slowdown since the global financial crisis.

The challenging geography and poor infrastructure of many Pacific nations mean digital financial services (DFS) are a particularly effective means of enhancing financial inclusion in the region. However, a number of major challenges confront DFS in the Pacific, including the establishment of reliable agent networks and the building of sufficient consumer trust in DFS for it to become a viable payments channel. This report examines the current use of DFS in the Pacific, analyzes the issues that need to be addressed, and provides recommendations for increasing financial inclusion in the region. This publication was produced by the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative, a regional technical assistance facility cofinanced by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Government of Australia and the New Zealand government.