Asia’s rapid growth in recent decades has led to a significant reduction in extreme
poverty, however this has also been accompanied by rising inequality in many
countries.
This book, based on recent research undertaken at the Asian Development
Bank, deals with three broad questions: What have been the recent trends of
inequality in Asia and the Pacific? What are the key drivers of rising inequality
in the region? How should Asian countries respond to the rising inequality? It
consists of two parts, preceded by an introduction chapter. Part I contains four
chapters, presenting a region-wide overview and synthesis of recent trends of
inequality in Asia, their key drivers (particularly, technological change, globalization,
market-oriented reform, and inequality of opportunity), and policy options to
address rising inequality. Part II contains 12 background papers, each providing
an in-depth analysis of a particular issue related to inequality and income distribution,
including gender inequality, structural transformation, role of institutions,
fiscal policy and redistribution, growth strategy, middle class, and inequalities in
Southeast Asia, the People’s Republic of China, India, and Pakistan.
The book highlights that technological change, globalization, and marketoriented
reform have been the key drivers of Asia’s remarkable economic growth
and poverty reduction, but they have also had significant distribution consequences.
It also argues that the three drivers of growth cannot be hindered because
they are the sources of productivity improvement and betterment of quality of life.
This book will be of importance to those interested in policy options that could be
deployed by Asian countries in confronting rising inequality.