Asian Development Outlook 2019

ADB’s flagship economic publication Asian Development Outlook 2019 (ADO) provides a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic issues in developing Asia and the Pacific, including growth projections by country and region.

The ADO 2019 theme chapter Towards a Disaster-Resilient Asia and the Pacific shows that disasters, including their causes and consequences, are shaped by the dynamics of the economy, society, and environment in which they occur. Increasing disaster risk is a growing threat to the development and prosperity of countries across Asia and the Pacific, and the consequences—particularly in terms of fatalities and economic impacts—tend to be more severe in developing countries and affect poor and marginalized people disproportionally. The report analyzes how disaster risks are reduced or amplified by market mechanisms (including insurance and supply chains), by government action (including infrastructure investment, early warning systems, and recovery assistance), and through the actions of individuals and communities. Finally, the report presents a new framing for “building back better”, focusing on building back safe, fast, fair, and ensuring future economic potential.

The ADO presentation by Valerie Mercer-Blackman, Senior Economist at the Economist Research and Regional Cooperation Department will address:

• Economic prospects for developing Asia and the Pacific

• Trade policy uncertainty in Asia: measurement and trends

• Rising US monetary policy uncertainty and its implications for Asian exchange rate volatility

• How Asian exchange rate depreciations have affected domestic financing conditions

• Trends in disaster impacts across the region – frequency, magnitude and the resulting losses and damages

• Policies to improve disaster resilience in developing Asia and the Pacific

Ananya Basu Principal Economist from ADB’s Pacific Department, will discuss developments and forecasts for the Pacific region.

ADO presents analysis of 45 economies, including the People’s Republic of China, India, and Indonesia. The report also examines the prospects for developing Asia by subregion: Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.

ADB Enquiries: Sally Shute-Trembath, Tel: (612) 82709444, E-mail: sshute-trembath@adb.org