The Asian 'Poverty Miracle' ─ Impressive Accomplishments or Incomplete Achievements?

Following rapid economic growth in recent decades, Asia and the Pacific experienced an impressive reduction in extreme poverty, but this drop was not uniform and achievements are still incomplete. Vulnerability to natural disasters, the increasing impact of climate change and economic crises should all be taken into account. There is also a need to consider the multidimensional nature of poverty and the non-uniformity of the decrease across different ethnic groups. This book explores the Asian ‘poverty miracle’ and argues for the development and use of an Asia-specific poverty line.This is a timely and multidimensional assessment of the much-neglected issues of, and links between, poverty, vulnerability, and ethnicity in Asia. It will be of great interest to lecturers and researchers of Asian development and economics, along with policy makers, public and private institutions, NGOs, and international aid agencies.

Edited by Jacques Silber, Department of Economics, Bar-Ilan University, Israel and Guanghua Wan, Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, Japan