There are several themes which emerge from the comparative analysis of social security systems in Southeast Asia. Each country will need to address the limitations of their respective system in relation to each of the themes outlined. The first theme concerns the need for a multi-tier social...

The paper has argued that to expand coverage of micro-pensions, social entrepreneurship (along with social responsibility) will be needed by the financial sector, including the MFIs, insurance companies and mutual funds. Such entrepreneurship should aim to drastically reduce overall transaction...

Consistent with international trends, the role of a Defined Contribution (DC) schemes is expected to grow substantially in India. The payout phase of DC schemes has received relatively less attention than the accumulation phase. Key risks to be addressed are the longevity and inflation risks,...

This paper strongly suggests that India has been far more intricately integrated with the rest of Asia than has commonly been perceived or acknowledged. This is particularly the case if overall value chain division is defined to include research and development, physical production,...

In developed financial and capital markets all financial intermediaries such as banks, insurance companies, and pension funds are well regulated. India is the first country in Asia to establish an independent regulator for the pensions sector. The regulator is expected to do much to integrate...

The main objective of the paper is to explore the role of Japan in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The analysis suggests that BIMSTEC-Japan cooperation could made a modest contribution to Asian integration. But this is contingent upon domestic...

This presentation reviews recent social security reforms in Asia-Pacific, with emphasis on countries with major reliance on social insurance schemes. Japan, Korea, Philippines, China, Vietnam, and Thailand have accepted social insurance principle as basic framework for social security. There is...

The ongoing global financial turmoil represents an end of an era of exuberant financial capitalism. But the transition to a more sedate and scaled down financial sector will be traumatic for the world as a whole, as well as for Asia. Since Asia does not appear to be the epicenter of the current...

There are considerable variations in the philosophy, coverage, investment policies and performance, design of schemes, governance structures, degree of professionalism and adequacy of benefits among Asian countries. The pensions sector requires strong government regulation. For most Asian...

This article analyses the importance of international commercial service transactions relating to both trade and investment, which form an essential element of analyzing production fragmentation and economic integration in Asia. Following an aggregative analysis the authors discusses data...