The Report presents an analysis of the diffusion and adoption of technology, particularly ICT in the region and its impact on overall economic growth, employment, poverty reduction, as well the provision of health and education services in the region. The report draws from several interesting case studies particularly from India and Bangladesh that illustrate how ICT is being used innovatively to improve the efficiency and transparency in the delivery of public services. The Report however reiterates that technology by itself does not result in wonders. It has to be accompanied with an educated and skilled population as well as basic infrastructure.

Human capital is an important factor for economic growth in South Asia. Between 1981 and 2010, human capital contributed about 22% of annual gross domestic product per worker growth in India. During the same period, it contributed around 21% in Bangladesh, and 16% in Sri Lanka. However, education and skills remain the binding constraint. Raising the quality of education and skills in South Asia's workforce can play a critical role in catching up to the level of development of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and other successful Southeast Asian economies. This study reviews the development of human capital in South Asia and analyzes contributing factors to human development including policies and strategies that countries in South Asia follow.

“South Asia 2060” is a dialogue between 47 thought leaders, ranging from policymakers to academics to civil society activists and visionaries from across South Asia and the world, on the likely longer-range trajectories of South Asia's future as a region. The collection explores how South Asia's regional future will impact the rest of the world while also shedding light on its present condition.

This new edition provides an up-to-date guide to the growing markets in South Asia. It offers an analysis of the changes and consequences of high sustainable growth of the region and provide an outlook as to where these economies are heading in the future. Focusing on the region's economic performance and achievements in the economic development front, the textbook will be of great interest to students and researchers in development economics, business economics, development studies and Asian studies.

The development of a nation can be influenced by a wide range of factors. In the modern era of globalization, under-developed countries must strive to catch up to developed nations and establish themselves in the global market. The Handbook of Research on Global Indicators of Economic and Political Convergence is a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly research on social, political, and environmental variables that affect the ability of developing countries to reach an equal standing in the global economy. Highlighting theoretical foundations, critical analyses, and real-world perspectives, this book is ideally designed for researchers, analysts, professionals, and upper-level students interested in emerging convergence and divergence trends in modern countries.

South Asia has created nearly 800,000 jobs per month during the last decade. Robust economic growth in large parts of the region has created better jobs -- those that pay higher wages for wage workers and reduce poverty for the self-employed, the largest segment of the region s employed. Going forward, South Asia faces the enormous challenge of absorbing 1 to 1.2 million entrants to the labor force every month for the next two decades at rising levels of productivity. This calls for an agenda that cuts across sectors and includes improving the reliability of electricity supply for firms in both urban and rural settings, dealing decisively with issues of governance and corruption, making access to land easier for urban informal firms and strengthening transport links between rural firms and their markets. It requires improving nutrition in early childhood to avoid cognitive impairment, intensifying the focus on quality of learning in education systems, equipping workers with the skills that employers demand, and reorienting labor market regulations and programs to protect workers rather than jobs. The continuance of high economic growth to help improve job quality is not assured. But the region s demography can provide a favorable tailwind. The growth of workers exceeds that of dependents in much of the region. The resources saved from having fewer dependents can be shifted to high-priority investments in physical and human capital accumulation necessary to create productive jobs in countries with an enabling policy framework. But the demographic window of opportunity is open for only the next three decades, a fact which lends urgency to the reform agenda. This book will be of interest to policy makers, their advisers, researchers and students of economics who seek solutions, not only to the challenge of creating more and better jobs in South Asia but globally as well. It is the first title in South Asia Development Matters,a new series that will serve as a vehicle for in-depth synthesis of economic and policy analysis on key development topics for South Asia.

This book analyzes the performance of South Asian educational systems and identifies the causes and correlates of student learning outcomes. Drawing on successful initiatives both in the region and elsewhere in the world, it offers an insightful approach to setting priorities for enhancing the quality of school education in South Asia.

There is a growing interest in human security in Southeast Asia. This book firstly explores the theoretical and conceptual basis of human security, before focusing on the region itself. It shows how human security has been taken up as a central part of security policy in individual states in Southeast Asia, as well as in the regional security policy within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The book discusses domestic challenges for human security including the insurgencies in southern Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Transnational security issues such as terrorism, drugs, human trafficking and the situation in Burma are explored by the author, and the ‘ASEAN’ way of contrasting the values and approaches of Southeast Asian countries with those in the West is assessed. By focusing on the ongoing changes and efforts to achieve human security in Southeast Asia, this book contributes to theoretical debates on human security as well as regional studies on Southeast Asia.

Population aging is perhaps the single biggest economic and social obstacle confronting AsiaÕs future. The region-wide demographic transition towards an older population is fundamentally reshaping the demographic landscape, and is giving rise to two key socio-economic challenges. This timely book provides an in-depth analysis of these challenges and presents concrete policy options for tackling them. First, the expert contributors argue, Asia must find ways to sustain rapid economic growth in the face of less favorable demographics, which implies slower growth of the workforce. Second, they contend, Asia must find ways to deliver affordable, adequate and sustainable old-age economic security for its growing elderly population. Underpinned by rigorous analysis, a wide range of concrete policy options for sustaining economic growth while delivering economic security for the elderly are then presented. These include Asia-wide policy options Ð relevant to the entire region Ð such as building up strong national pension systems, whilst other policy options are more relevant to sub-groups of countries. This stimulating and informative book will be of great interest to academics, students and researchers with an interest in Asian studies, economics generally, and more specifically, public sector economics.