The 1991 disintegration of the Soviet Union produced 5 new countries in Central Asia -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan. This report takes a comprehensive view of the prospects for regional cooperation in Central Asia, examining the benefits from breaking down barriers & achieving closer regional connections in a number of key areas. It demonstrates that increased cooperation among Central Asian countries will produce large economic gains in reducing trade costs, increasing remittances, & improving water & energy use. Cooperation will especially help the poor in the region, who will on balance gain more, while the cost of non-cooperation will fall especially on the poor & vulnerable. Illustrations.

This report is a comprehensive analysis of the many challenges that confront Central Asia, including high trade costs, environmental devastation, increased inequality, rising migration, the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and poor governance. There has been recent progress towards regional cooperation, but the barriers created by borders negatively affect peoples' lives. It is contended that increased cooperation among the Central Asian republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan would produce substantial political and economic gains, including income increases of 50 percent to 100 percent over the next ten years. The cost of non-cooperation is continued deterioration in income distribution, social services and general living conditions, according to the Report, and possibly a descent into the vicious cycle of economic crisis and corrupt governance that often leads to social unrest.

Comprehensive analysis of the many challenges that confront Central Asia, including high trade costs, environmental devastation, increased inequality, rising migration, the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and poor governance. There has been recent progress towards regional cooperation, but the Report shows that the barriers created by borders negatively affect peoples' lives. The Report contends that increased cooperation among the Central Asian republics--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan--would produce substantial political and economic gains, including income increases of 50 percent to 100 percent over the next ten years. The cost of non-cooperation is continued deterioration in income distribution, social services and general living conditions, according to the Report, and possibly a descent into the vicious cycle of economic crisis and corrupt governance that often leads to social unrest.

Human Development in South Asia 1999 analyzes governance issues from the perspective of political, economic, social and civic dimensions, provides and in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of corruption, and advocates a concrete and realistic reform agenda necessary for promoting 'human governance' in the region. In this regard, the report introduces a new index that ranks countries based on their performance in the spheres of economic, political and civic governance.

This book focuses on Central Asia's place in world affairs and how international politics of state-building has affected the Asian region, thus filling the gaps in ongoing discussions on the rise of Asia in global governance. It also attempts to generalize and contextualize the "Central Asian experience" and re-evaluate its comparative relevance, by explaining the complex dynamics of Central Asian politics through a detailed analysis of the effects of major international actors -- both international organizations as well as current and rising great powers.--Publisher's description.

Today, collective action on challenges ranging from climate change mitigation to peace and security is frustratingly slow or stymied altogether. Lack of trust and polarization--both associated with insecurity--exacerbate the gridlock. Shared, interlinked global challenges, like the pandemic and its recovery, are outpacing our willingness and our institutions’ capacities to respond to them. Why, despite all our riches and technologies, are we so stuck? How do we get unstuck? Is it possible to mobilize action to address globally shared challenges in a world that is intensively polarized? The 2023-2024 Human Development Report explores these issues and offers a platform for strategic discussion on how to move beyond narrow zero-sum thinking and support cooperation even as we have diverging interests and views. The e-book for this publication has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.

Most poeple in most countries have been steadily better in human development. Advances in technology and incomes hold ever-greater for longer, healthier, more secure lives.