Since 2000, Southeast Asia has had some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Indonesia’s economy has enjoyed 6 percent annual growth—but will its lack of infrastructure and its commodity dependence soon reveal some cracks in its economy? The remarkable growth in the Philippines will not last unless domestic investment is elevated. Thailand’s growth has stalled amid political turmoil, and it is currently in a classic credit bubble. Vietnam still generates impressive growth, but it has a banking problem, high inflation, and ubiquitous ...

There are 10 varied and challenging national storylines unfolding in ASEAN – and businesses need to join these conversations. Juggling the many demands of an increasingly complex stakeholder universe – from consumers to politicians, regulators to society at large – will require an understanding of the wide array of domestic and regional political risks in ASEAN. While there are some challenges that are common to many countries in ASEAN, the level of risk and trend direction vary. There are several questions on geo-strategy in the region: Will ...

ASEAN has gradually built, on the basis of both shared interests and common principles and norms, various practices and mechanisms that helped prevent conflict among its members and allowed it to play an autonomous role in shaping the regional security architecture. Overcoming the member states' preoccupation with their own national concerns to give way to advocacy of collective interests has remained difficult, but progress is being made. Part A of this volume looks at the processes and dynamics, challenges, and opportunities of ASEAN ...

In India, despite improvements in access to health care, inequalities are related to socioeconomic status, geography, and gender, and are compounded by high out-of-pocket expenditures, with more than three-quarters of the increasing financial burden of health care being met by households. Health-care expenditures exacerbate poverty, with about 39 million additional people falling into poverty every year as a result of such expenditures. We identify key challenges for the achievement of equity in service provision, and equity in financing and ...

The efforts chronicled in this series of case studies are not only designed to improve health outcomes, they are also poised to save the country billions in health care spending. According to one study published in 2009, more than 30 percent of direct medical costs faced by African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans can be tied to health inequi- ties. Because of inequitable access to care, these populations are sicker when they do find a source of care and incur higher medical costs. That 30 percent translates to more than $230 billion over ...

Background Universal coverage of health care is now receiving substantial worldwide and national attention, but debate continues on the best mix of financing mechanisms, especially to protect people outside the formal employment sector. Crucial issues are the equity implications of different financing mechanisms, and patterns of service use. We report a whole-system analysis—integrating both public and private sectors—of the equity of health-system financing and service use in Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania.