INASIA
Insights and Analysis
Podcast: Bulldozing ASEAN’s Digital Divide
Southeast Asia may be mad for social media, but peek behind the smartphone mania and the skills to get a job in the new economy or take a small business online are still in short supply. As the pandemic turns up the pressure to go digital, a new project from The Asia Foundation and Google.org is about to change that.
Covid and Conflict in Myanmar’s Borderlands: A View from the Field
Already fractured by long and intractable conflicts, Myanmar’s border regions must now face the misery of Covid-19 amid continuing armed clashes and social services divided between the competing authority of the central government and ethnic armed organizations.
Can a Sweeping New Law Counter Nepal’s Federal Overreach?
In July, Nepal’s national parliament passed the most important single law in that nation’s young federal system. Will the flawed but vital legislation mark the start of a new era of governance, or will it be lost in the dungeons of Nepal’s imperfect policies of the past?
Covid Lays Bare the Flaws in Asia’s Booming Megacities
After 20 years of dazzling growth, Asia is now home to nearly half of the world’s urban population. Now, Covid-19 is revealing how this breakneck growth has left behind the very citizens whose toil has built Asia’s prosperity.
The Future of Work: Another Storm on the Horizon for Thailand
Thailand has managed the pandemic with aplomb, and economic activity has begun to rebound, but like an invisible ocean tide, signs are emerging that Thailand is in the early stages of a far-reaching economic crisis.
Safe Home Initiative Supports Pakistan Communities Hit Hard by Covid-19
Pakistan emerged strong from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, but the coronavirus is a crisis of a different color. In a society already suffering from poor and inequitable healthcare and social services, the pandemic has had an outsized impact on the most vulnerable populations.
Covid-19 Is a Feminist Issue
Across the Asia-Pacific and around the globe, Covid-19 is having a disproportionate impact on women and girls. A recent Asia Foundation webinar explored feminist strategies to mitigate the gendered effects of the pandemic.
Thinking and Working Politically, a Conversation with Jaime Faustino
Since early 2012, The Asia Foundation’s Coalitions for Change project in the Philippines has been rocking the emerging discipline of “thinking and working politically,” which is…what, exactly? In a new book, Jaime Faustino answers that question with a tale of strange bedfellows, unexpected obstacles, and astonishing solutions.
Jobs and Small Businesses in the New Normal
In a still-locked-down Asia-Pacific, the world of work is becoming a world of screens. The digital economy can be a lifeline for both workers and small businesses as they struggle with Covid-19 and the future of work, but prosperity for all will require a delicate balancing act.