Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 1999

Contents

I. Global economic developments: implications for the ESCAP region

Introduction

Recent global macroeconomic trends

Trade and capital flows

Implications for the ESCAP region

Towards an international financial architecture

II. Macroeconomic performance, issues and policies

A regional overview

Developing economies of the ESCAP region

Developed countries of the region

III. Social impact of the economic crisis

Introduction

Pre-crisis achievements

Impact of the economic crisis

Responses to the crisis

Policy directions for the future

IV. Information technology, globalization and development

Globalization and its causes

Technologies and the process of globalization: emerging trends

The situation in the Asian and Pacific region

Interrelationships between information technology, globalization and the development process

V. Electronic commerce

Defining electronic commerce

Electronic commerce benefits for big business

Electronic commerce and small business

The future: internet commerce

Trade facilitation through electronic commerce

Promotion of trade and investment through electronic commerce

Challenges in developing policies to support electronic commerce

Regional and international dimentions

National dimensions

Annex. The village phones programme of the Grameen Bank, Bangladesh

VI. ICT and intestment for production

ICT and industrial networks

Networks for ICT production

ICT planning into the twenty-first century

VII. Financial flows

Domestic banking systems

Capital markets

Volatility in emerging capital markets

International financial system and the use of ICT

Annex. The application of ICT in stock markets

VIII. Conclusion: from passive followers to active participants

Implications of ICT for economic security

ICT applications for social development

Policies at the national level

Policies at the international and regional levels

Closing remarks

Annex. Considerations for ICT policy formulation in developing courntries

Boxes

Box I.1. The euro: an initial assessment of its impact on developing countries of the ESCAP region

III.1. The plight of women workers and their adjustment to the crisis

Box V.1. ICT developments in the maritime industry

Box V.2. Use of EDI for customs purposes in selected countries of the ESCAP region

Box V.3. The development of Internet character sets in local languages

Box V.4. Electronic government information technology policy and standards in Malaysia

Box V.5. The legal policy framework for electronic commerce in Singapore

Box V.6. Promoting electronic commerce in Thailand

Box VI.1. Unilever establishes a regional ICT management centre

Box VI.2. Hindustan Lever enhances its competitive ability through ICT

Box VI.3. ICT industries in Singapore

Box VII.1. ICT applications in the Thai financial system and their impact

Box VII.2. Capital markets in Singapore

Tables

I.1. Selected indicators of global economic conditions, 1995-1999

I.2. Net long-term resource flows to developing countries, 1990-1997

I.3. Merchandise exports: values and percentage shares by origin and destination, 1995 to mid-1998

II.1. Selected economies of the ESCAP region: rates of economic growth and inflation, 1997-2001

II.2. Selected least developed countries of the ESCAP region: growth rates, 1995-1998

II.3. Selected least developed countries of the ESCAP region: summary of macroeconomic indicators, 1995-1998

II.4. Selected least developed countries of the ESCAP region: merchandise exports and imports in United States dollars and their rates of growth, 1995-1998

II.5. Selected Pacific island economies: growth rates, 1995-1998

II.6. Selected Pacific island economies: summary of macroeconomic indicators, 1995-1998

II.7. Selected Pacific island economies: merchandise exports and imports in United States dollars and their rates of growth, 1995-1998

II.8. North and Central Asia: growth rates, 1995-1998

II.9. North and Central Asia: merchandise exports and imports in United States dollars and their rates of growth, 1995-1998

II.10. Selected South and South-West Asian economies: growth rates, 1995-1998

II.11. Selected South and South-West Asian economies: summary of macroeconomic indicators, 1995-1998

II.12. Selected South and South-West Asian economies: Merchandise exports and imports in United States dollars and their rates of growth, 1995-1998

II.13. Selected South-East Asian economies: growth rates, 1995-1998

II.14. Selected South-East Asian economies: summary of macroeconomic

II.15. Selected South-East Asian economies: merchandise exports and imports in United States dollars and their rates of growth, 1995-1998

II.16. Selected East and North-East Asian economies: growth rates, 1995-1998

II.17. Selected East and North-East Asian economies: summary of macroeconomic indicators, 1995-1998

II.18. Selected East and North-East Asian economies: merchandise exports and imports in United States dollars and their rates of growth, 1995-1998

II.19. Developed countries of the ESCAP region: major macroeconomic indicators, 1995-1998

II.20. Developed countries of the ESCAP region: merchandise exports and imports in United States dollars and their rates of growth, 1995-1998

III.1. Economic and social development in selected Asian countries, various issues

III.2. Open unemployment in the affected countries before and after the crisis

IV.1. ICT diffusion indicators

V.1. Use of electronic data interchange in trade in selected economies of the ESCAP region

V.2. Electronic commerce: features of main instruments

V.3. Trade information institutions in selected economies of the ESCAP region

V.4. International bodies contributing to the development of electronic commerce

V.5. Selected national action in the ESCAP region to amend laws and legislation for electronic commerce

VI.1. Uses of information networks in Japanese companies

VI.2. Production of ICT goods in the Asian and Pacific region, 1985-1994

VII.1. Annual average aggregate net long-term resource flows to developing countries

VII.2. Indicators on selected stock markets in the Asian and Pacific region, 1996

FIGURES

II.1. Savings and investment as a percentage of GDP in selected least developed countries of the ESCAP region, 1995-1998

II.2. Budget balance as a percentage of GDP and inflation rates in selected North and Central Asian economies, 1995-1998

II.3. Savings and investment as a percentage of GDP in selected South and South-West Asian economies, 1995-1998

II.4. Index of exchange rates of selected South-East Asian economies, 1997-1998

II.5. Index of stock markets of selected South-East Asian economies, 1997-1998

II.6. Index of stock markets of selected East and North-East Asian economies, 1997-1998

II.7. Index of exchange rates of selected East and North Asian economies, 1997-1998

II.8. Index of exchange rates of developed countries in the ESCAP region, 1997-1998

III.1. Major channels of transmission of the economic crisis to social areas

IV.1. Convergence trends in the use of computers

IV.2. Worldwide ICT spending

IV.3. ICT spending by region in 1997

IV.4. ICT diffusion in the ESCAP region

IV.5. Investment in telecommunications by developing countries in the ESCAP region

IV.6. Determinants of competitiveness

IV.7. ICT diffusion and indices of the investment climate

V.1. Security countermeasures related to electronic commerce

VI.1. Breakdown of worldwide production of ICT goods by region, 1994

VII.1 Measures of volatility of stock market indices

VII.2. Measures of volatility of indices of returns on bond issues

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