Two-thirds of people in the Lao People's Democratic Republic live in rural areas, yet agriculture contributes less than one-fifth of gross domestic product. As such, farm incomes remain low and many lack access to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and risk falling into...

We examine the influence of institutional framework conditions on the productivity potential of new entrepreneurial businesses in advanced and developing economies using primary data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor from 2006 to 2022. We combine each economy's institutional conditions...

Aging populations in Asia are worried that they are facing a "care crisis," with many older people in need of care having no one to care for them. However, we do not have a clear picture of current care patterns: How much care is currently being consumed? Who is providing that care? Are women...

This paper investigates the unintended consequences of size-dependent regulations in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) promotion policies. We use data from all registered Thai firms to analyze the effects of introducing a revenue cap in the SME tax incentive program qualification. Our...

We provide causal evidence from a developing country context that children exposed to lead at a young age exhibit worse cognitive outcomes. We exploit variation in exposure to leadcontaminated toxic sites in Indonesia and estimate a two-way fixed effects model using variation in age at first...

Low-carbon energy transition, which includes the replacement of fossil fuels with low-carbon energy infrastructure, the removal of subsidies, and other measures, requires households to be able to pay for low-carbon energy services. Economic shocks such as the coronavirus disease pandemic and...

The Asian Development Bank has adopted internal practices aligned with its commitment to help its members achieve gender equality. This study analyzes panel data on its staff spanning 2000-2022 to understand gender differences in salaries and career paths of its three staff groups. A...

This study explores the relationship between digitalization and entrepreneurial innovation across developing economies. We assess whether higher levels of digital technology development within a country enhance the innovation potential of its entrepreneurial ventures and how this impact varies...

This paper provides novel microlevel evidence that cross-border bank flows are an important means for households to access credit, not only in emerging markets but also in advanced economies. Using supervisory bank-level data alongside household credit and consumption data from Germany, we study...

At the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in the Philippines in April 2020, the Asian Development Bank, in partnership with the Philippine government and the private sector, implemented the Bayan Bayanihan (BB) food relief program which served approximately 162,000 households...