Inequality, Inclusive Growth, and Fiscal Policy in Asia

Inequality, Inclusive Growth, and Fiscal Policy in Asia
Author: Donghyun Park
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2015-04-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317530934

Developing Asia’s sustained rapid growth has improved general living standards and lifted hundreds of millions of Asians out of poverty within a generation. Yet the region now finds itself confronting rising inequality. Countries where inequality has worsened over the past 2 decades collectively account for over 80% of Asia’s population. As a result, governments across the region have begun to accord a higher priority to promoting more inclusive growth. The international experience, especially the experience of the advanced economies, suggests that fiscal policy can make a potent contribution to reducing inequality. This book systematically explores the relationship between both sides of fiscal policy—public spending as well as taxes and other fiscal revenues—and inequality in Asia at great depths. On the basis of the analysis, the book sets forth a number of concrete options for rendering fiscal policy a more effective tool for more inclusive growth that benefits all Asians. Inequality, Inclusive Growth, and Fiscal Policy in Asia is written in response to an issue of growing demand in most Asian countries, and it comes at a time when Asian governments are also beginning to use fiscal policy to bridge the glaring disparities between the rich and the poor of the region. As such, the book will be a highly valuable reference for researchers, policy makers, and students as well.

Asia’s Quest for Inclusive Growth Revisited

Asia’s Quest for Inclusive Growth Revisited
Author: Ms.Chie Aoyagi
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 29
Release: 2015-02-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1498340148

Despite the rapid economic growth and poverty reduction, inequality in Asia worsened during last two decades. We focus on the determinants of growth inclusiveness and suggest options for reform. A cross cross-country empirical analysis suggests that fiscal redistribution, monetary policy aimed at macro stability, and structural reforms to stimulate trade, reduce unemployment and increase productivity are important determinants of inclusive growth. The main policy implication of our analysis is that there is still room to strengthen such policies in Asia to better achieve growth with shared prosperity. In particular, scenario simulations based on our results suggests that the effect of expanding fiscal redistribution on inclusive growth could be sizeable in emerging Asia, since the estimated improvement in our proxy of inclusive growth – a measure of growth in average income “corrected” for the equity impact—ranges from about 1 to about 8 percentage points.

Asian Development Outlook 2014

Asian Development Outlook 2014
Author: Asian Development Bank
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
Total Pages: 770
Release: 2014-04-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9292544535

The Asian Development Outlook 2014 projects that developing Asia's growth will increase from 6.1% in 2013 to 6.2% in 2014 and 6.4% in 2015. Moderating growth in the People's Republic of China as its economy adjusts to more balanced growth will offset to some extent the stronger demand expected from the industrial countries as their economies recover. Risks to the outlook have eased and are manageable. The monetary policy shift in the United States may invite some volatility ahead in financial markets, albeit mitigated by accommodative monetary policy in Japan and the euro area. The regional growth outlook depends on continued recovery in the major industrial economies and on the People's Republic of China managing to contain internal credit growth smoothly. Widening income gaps in developing Asia strengthens the case for greater use of fiscal policy to foster equality of opportunity. While the region has benefited from fiscal prudence in the past, demographic and environmental challenges are expected to compete for public resources in the coming years. To boost public spending on equity-enhancing programs such as education and health without undermining fiscal sustainability, the authorities will need to explore a wide range of options for mobilizing revenue and to build equity objectives into their fiscal plans.

Sustaining Economic Growth in Asia

Sustaining Economic Growth in Asia
Author: Jeremie Cohen-Setton
Publisher: Peterson Institute for International Economics
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2018-12-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0881327344

Economic growth, inflation, and interest rates have declined in Asia, just as they have in the United States and Europe. This volume explores the relevance to several Asian economies of the diagnosis known as “secular stagnation.” Leading experts on the region discuss the fiscal and monetary policy challenges of reviving growth without generating domestic financial imbalances. The essays on innovation, demographics, spillovers, and various policy proposals are accompanied by case studies focusing on Japan, South Korea, China, India, and Indonesia.

The Elusive Quest for Inclusive Growth

The Elusive Quest for Inclusive Growth
Author: Mr.Ravi Balakrishnan
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2013-06-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1475531168

This paper assesses how pro-poor and inclusive Asia’s recent growth has been, and what factors have been driving these outcomes. It finds that while poverty has fallen across the region over the last two decades, inequality has increased, dampening the impact of growth on poverty reduction. As a result, relative to other emerging and developing regions and to Asia’s own past, the recent period of growth has been both less inclusive and less pro-poor. Our analysis suggests a number of policies that could help redress these trends and broaden the benefits of growth in Asia. These include fiscal policies to increase spending on health, education, and social safetynets; labor market reforms to boost the labor share of total income; and reforms to make financial systems more inclusive.

OECD Fiscal Federalism Studies Fiscal Decentralisation and Inclusive Growth in Asia

OECD Fiscal Federalism Studies Fiscal Decentralisation and Inclusive Growth in Asia
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2019-06-13
Genre:
ISBN: 9264897909

This report looks at the challenges faced by Asian countries in addressing inclusive growth and fiscal decentralisation. A series of studies examines how policies in the region have evolved in accordance with changes in demography and the economic environment, reflecting country characteristics, history and political economy forces.

Government Spending and Inclusive Growth in Developing Asia

Government Spending and Inclusive Growth in Developing Asia
Author: Seok-Kyun Hur
Publisher:
Total Pages: 46
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

This paper assesses the effects of fiscal policy on both equity and growth, specifically whether it is possible to design fiscal spending so that it enhances equity without sacrificing economic growth and vice versa. A cross-country panel vector autoregression (PVAR) using the World Development Indicators confirms the growth effects of individual fiscal spending items as anticipated whereas distributional effects were either temporarily positive or negligible for most fiscal items. However, compared with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development members, spending on public health and public education appeared to alleviate income inequality significantly in the Asian Development Bank members. This implies that fiscal expenditure policies may contribute more to inclusive growth in developing economies than in advanced ones.

Inclusive Growth, Full Employment, and Structural Change

Inclusive Growth, Full Employment, and Structural Change
Author: Jesus Felipe
Publisher: Anthem Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2012-12-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0857285726

'Inclusive Growth, Full Employment, and Structural Change: Implications and Policies for Developing Asia' discusses policies to achieve inclusive growth in developing Asia, including agriculture, investment, certain state interventions, monetary, fiscal, and the role of the state as employer of last resort. Felipe argues that full employment of the labor force is the key to delivering inclusive growth. Full employment is the most direct way to improve the well-being of the people, especially of the most disadvantaged. Since unemployment and underemployment are pervasive in many parts of the region, Asian leaders must commit to the goal of full employment. The book also analyzes the region's phenomenal growth in recent decades in terms of structural transformation. Accelerating it is vital for the continued growth of developing Asia. But efforts to achieve full employment might be held back given that structural transformation requires massive labor shifts across sectors, and these are difficult to coordinate. Moreover, the goal of full employment was abandoned in the 1970s, and governments and central banks have since concentrated on keeping inflation low.