Asian Development Review: Volume 37, Number 2

Contents 

ADB COVID-19 Policy Database: A Guide – Jesus Felipe and Scott Fullwiler

This paper explains the key concepts that underlie the taxonomy used to construct the ADB COVID-19 Policy Database, which displays the measures taken and monetary amounts announced or estimated by the 68 members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), two institutions, and nine other economies to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Evaluating Strategies to Reduce Arsenic Poisoning in South Asia: A View from the Social Sciences – Matthew Krupoff, Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, and Alexander van Geen

This paper analyzes the behavioral, economic, and institutional challenges of implementing arsenic mitigation interventions and identifies solutions that appear most promising according to the evidence base.

Does the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Align Private Firms with the Goals of the People’s Republic of China’s Belt and Road Initiative? – Jeffrey B. Nugent and Jiaxuan Lu

This paper demonstrates that the largest business association of private firms in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), has induced its members to help achieve the goals of the PRC’s Belt and Road Initiative since its inauguration in 2013.

The Borrowing Puzzle: Why Do Filipino Domestic Workers in Hong Kong, China Borrow Rather than Dissave? – Wooyoung Lim and Sujata Visaria

This paper finds that Filipino domestic workers appear to routinely finance their investments through loans rather than savings.

Impacts of an Information and Communication Technology-Assisted Program on Attitudes and English Communication Abilities: An Experiment in a Japanese High School – Yuki Higuchi, Miyuki Sasaki, and Makiko Nakamuro

This paper examines the impacts of a newly developed English-language learning program based on a randomized experiment on 322 Japanese high school students.

Analyzing the Sources of Misallocation in Indian Manufacturing: A Gross-Output Approach – Sujana Kabiraj

This paper uses data from both formal and informal firms to study distortions in input and output markets as sources of misallocation in the Indian manufacturing sector.

Trade Volatility in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three: Impacts and Determinants – Thi Nguyet Anh Nguyen, Thi Hong Hanh Pham, and Thomas Vallée

This paper investigates trade volatility in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three (ASEAN+3) and its links with output volatility, export diversification, and free trade agreements.

Could Weather Fluctuations Affect Local Economic Growth? Evidence from Counties in the People’s Republic of China – Chengzheng Li, Jiajia Cong, and Haiying Gu

This paper uses historical fluctuations of weather variables within counties in the People’s Republic of China to identify their effects on economic growth from 1996 to 2012.

ADB Distinguished Speaker’s Program

Human Capital as Engine of Growth: The Role of Knowledge Transfers in Promoting Balanced Growth within and across Countries – Isaac Ehrlich and Yun Pei

This paper focuses on an underlying aspect of human capital as engine of growth—the role of knowledge transfers—which has received only modest attention in the literature so far.