This paper investigates whether there is any consistency between banks' financial strength ratings (bank rating) and their risk-return profiles. It is expected that banks with high ratings tend to earn high expected returns for the risks they assume and thereby have a low probability of...

This paper investigates whether there is any consistency between banks’ financial strength ratings (bank rating) and their risk-return profiles. It is expected that banks with high ratings tend to earn high expected returns for the risks they assume and thereby have a low probability of...

This study empirically investigated the factors affecting firms' ability to adjust production in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This study used firm-level survey data from the Enterprise Survey implemented by the World Bank Group, including a standard Enterprise Survey (Baseline) and two...

The growing population and climatic uncertainties have compelled producers to undertake faster exploitation of the resources in agricultural production to meet global food security, which, in turn, leads towards unsustainable and input-led inefficient production growth. The problem is further...

India's creative economy is large, but its untapped potential is even larger. This study provides the first reliable measure on the size of India's creative economy, explores the many challenges faced by the creative industries, and provides recommendations to make India one of the most creative...

Central to this study are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mainstreaming digital features that transform access to finance in imagining an inclusive economy. Underlining the advancement in technology, especially in the context of a digital payment system, perpetuates the...

The objective of this paper is twofold. First, it examines the effects of the implementation of trade facilitation (TF) measures on international trade flows and on participation in global value chains (GVCs). Second, it provides policy recommendations for developing Asia and the Pacific derived...

Since the 1960s, global societies have experienced a decline in both fertility and mortality rates; this trend has led to rapidly aging populations worldwide. In such a scenario, aging populations have become a significant challenge, especially for developing Asian economies where both...

This paper analyzes consumption risk sharing among provinces in the People's Republic of China (PRC) during 1980 - 2007. The analysis finds that 9.4% of shocks to gross provincial product are smoothed by the interprovincial fiscal transfer system. This system also cushions a relatively large...

Singapore is the most industrialized and urbanized country in Southeast Asia and is totally dependent on oil and natural gas imports to satisfy its energy needs. Its national energy policy framework seeks to find a balance between maintaining Singapore's competitiveness, improving energy...