Northeast Asian Perspectives on Sustainable Infrastructure Cooperation in the Era of COVID-19

In December 2020, The Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management (KDI School) and The Asia Foundation organized a policy dialogue forum: “Northeast Asian Perspectives on Sustainable Infrastructure Cooperation in the Era of COVID-19” (the Forum). The Forum convened key experts and opinion leaders from China, Japan, Mongolia, and the ROK to exchange ideas on the latest trends, opportunities, and challenges related to sustainable infrastructure in Northeast Asia. The Forum’s ultimately goal was to build trust among participating countries and engender greater regional cooperation. Forum discussions centered on four major topics: 1) Reaching Consensus and Managing Trade-offs; 2) COVID-19, Technology, and Building for the Future; 3) Promoting Bankable Projects; and 4) Regional Dynamics and Cooperation. These topics encompassed various important and not insignificant obstacles that impede regional sustainable infrastructure cooperation. For each topic, this report analyzes cur..

June 09, 2021

Changing Landscape of Development Cooperation Amidst and Beyond Covid-19 in Asia

Across Asia, like other parts of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has had significant implications for public health and safety, social and economic security, governance, and political stability. Many countries across Asia are facing challenges that impact their ability to contain the spread of the pandemic and the socio-economic crisis. In the face of such challenges, the Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation (AADC) aims to bolster Asia’s overall preparedness for the global pandemic by sharing the knowledge and responses to Covid-19 across the region and beyond. Organized jointly by KDI School of Public Policy and Management and The Asia Foundation, the AADC 2020 provides a forum for exchange of ideas among key international development experts in Asian nations on the changing landscape of international cooperation amidst and beyond Covid-19, producing recommendations to be shared with the public. Please find the attached PDF to see the report. ..

February 26, 2021

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work: Implications for Asian Development Cooperation

Advanced technologies like automation have utterly transformed economies, livelihoods, labor markets, and workplaces throughout Asia. Hundreds of millions of laborers have been lifted out of poverty as new technology applications created new jobs and industries. At the same time, millions were left behind without access to vital technologies and infrastructure, support for up-to-date skills training, equitable social protections or pro-labor regulations. Within this context of significant opportunity and challenge, South-South, Asian, and triangular development cooperation can play a pivotal role. This volume focuses on the challenges posed to Asian workers and economies by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the new practices transforming the workplace, workers, and work. The chapters in this volume present expert perspectives from government, civil society, academia, policy bodies, and multilateral agencies on how Asia’s stakeholders can and should navigate the rough waters caused by disruptive change to achieve produc..

January 28, 2021

The Asia Foundation Predictions for 2021

The Asia Foundation’s 18 country representatives offer their predictions of the stories that will dominate the news from the Asia-Pacific in the coming year. In Korea, a highly unequal K-shaped recovery is occurring, with starkly opposite realities between North and South Korea at one level, and within South Korea at another. If the year just passed had a lesson, it must be the futility of predictions. What seasoned prognosticator in 2019 foresaw a viral pandemic that would derail the lives and prosperity of millions of people around the world in 2020? What seer saw in their crystal ball the dramatic and violent chaos that would unfold while members of the U.S. Congress met on Capitol Hill to certify the election of Joe Biden as the next president? The world expressed shock and dismay. These events were as unforeseen as they were momentous. Yet, to set goals, to devise strategies—to live our lives—we must look ahead, and after a year of events that changed development ..

January 22, 2021

North Korean Entrepreneurs in South Korea

The Asia Foundation is launching a ground-breaking report on North Korean refugee entrepreneurs in South Korea. This captures the voices of 131 entrepreneurs portraying their challenges while pointing to a more optimistic and hopeful vision of the North Korean refugees living in South Korea. In the foreword, Dr. Andrei Lankov writes: “The growing North Korean refugee community in the South can be seen as a testing ground which can give us some foresight and warning about what is likely happening in North Korea now, and what is probably going to happen there in the future. Thus, this research and its findings are extremely important for everyone who cares about North Korea and I highly recommend it for everyone to read carefully.” Please find the attached PDF to see the report (English/Korean).

December 23, 2020

South Korea’s COVID-19 response: hard lessons on saving lives

Staff from The Asia Foundation Korea writes in DevPolicy on South Korea’s Covid-19 response, with potential implications to other countries. In the article, authors Kwang Kim, Kyung-sook Lee, and Jaemyung Lee break down the key elements of Korea’s response: making the most of the early window, planning for difficult public policy choices, practicing implementation playbook for future outbreaks. The authors point out that In 2015, Bill Gates suggested investing billions of dollars to develop “Germ Games,” analogous to investments in “War Games.” As Korea learned the hard way, the time to prepare is now. Please check the link below or the attached PDF to read the full article. Link: https://devpolicy.org/south-koreas-covid-19-response-20200609-1/

December 04, 2020

Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Asia: Lessons in South-South Cooperation

Conflict is a longstanding and persistent element of Asian domestic and international relations. As development cooperation increasingly focuses on connectivity between nations, regions, and continents, interstate and intrastate conflict becomes a critical variable of sustainable development. This volume exposes the contours of Asia’s complicated geopolitical landscape from the perspective of Asian countries affected by conflict, as well as countries trying to provide support to conflict-affected areas. The observations and suggestions supplied provide insights on how Asian countries can support peacebuilding initiatives and encourage sustainable development across the continent.

June 16, 2020

Accelerate Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities in Korea

With generous support from Fondation CHANEL, The Asia Foundation implemented a one-year research project, Accelerate Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities in South Korea, to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province, including the current policy environment. The long-term goal of the project is to support women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province to: (a) start and operate successful businesses as a viable career option; (b) improve their socio-economic well-being and that of their families and communities; and (c) enable them to contribute to and benefit from economic development. Please find the attachment to see the report.

April 20, 2020

Industrial Revolution 4.0 and the Future of Work: Implications for Asian Development Cooperation

Organized jointly by the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management and The Asia Foundation, the “Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation” (AADC) dialogue series brings together development experts and government officials from the Asia region and beyond to share perspectives and to facilitate mutual learning between and among “emerging” and “traditional” development actors. This year’s AADC dialogue discussed how Asian development cooperation could factor in the features of industrial revolution 4.0 (4IR) and to address the challenges posed by the future of work. The discussion included exploring present structural readiness in respective national contexts for the changing technological landscape, examining new types of partnerships in preparing for the transition, reviewing private sector-led strategies in tackling these challenges, and identifying areas of region-wide cooperation for mutual competitiveness.

December 26, 2019