India’s 2020 FDI restrictions: What it meant for China’s outward greenfield FDI

In times of uncertainty, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, policymakers are compelled to make high-risk and quick decisions that may go against their broader policy mandates. At the onset of the pandemic, the Indian government mandated a clearance requirement for new FDI projects from land-border sharing economies. It was widely understood that these new FDI […]

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Nepal’s Digitalisation Journey: Experiences and Challenges in Digital Transformation and the Future Ahead

ACI collaborated with NIPoRe to host a webinar titled Nepal’s Digitalisation Journey: Experiences and Challenges in Digital Transformation and the Future Ahead on February 23th, 2023. Prof Paul Cheung, Director of Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) delivered his welcome remarks and highlighted the importance of digitalisation and the speed of Nepal’s digitalisation. He also shared how […]

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A tiered approach to measuring digital competitiveness of Asian Economies

As digital transformations continue to happen at breakneck speeds around the world, the rise of the digital economy has become impossible to ignore. How long can you survive at work, school, or even otherwise without access to the internet? The value of the digital economy in our lives rests in answer to the question. As […]

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What can online job postings say about the labor market dynamics in Singapore?

Online job postings complement official labor market data well and, therefore, reflect the skills and qualifications in demand in a timelier manner. A study by ACI uses job posting data from JobTech, Singapore’s leading AI talent intelligence startup, to monitor and understand local labor market dynamics. The data constitute nearly the entire universe of job […]

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The Debate on International Trade and Wage Inequality Continues: The Case of Mexican Firms and Competition from China

International trade has been rightfully touted as an engine of economic growth, but its impact on the labor market might differ among different economies. Over the last few decades, China’s unsurpassable growth numbers have caught the world’s attention. The labor-intensive economy of China has been the focus of numerous international trade studies, with the impact […]

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How difficult is it to balance purpose with profit? Know it from Singapore’s B Corps

Paradoxically, in today’s times of increased sensitivity to environmental issues, businesses with clear loyalty to sustainability are subject to more scepticism than ordinary corporations. A study by ACI surveyed 12 (out of 19) B corporations in Singapore to understand the challenges faced by these companies, and strategies employed to cope with them. The Certified B […]

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Investment, Infrastructure, ICT in Jakarta: Emergence from Covid-19 and Development Outlook

Jakarta’s massive infrastructure development and growing digital sector kept the economic slump at bay during the covid-19 pandemic. A recent study by ACI tracks Jakarta’s emergence from the pandemic and its socioeconomic progress vis-à-vis the province’s medium-term development plan (RPJMD). It finds that the province’s digital sector showed resilience amidst the economic contraction induced by […]

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From digital to real economies: Lessons from Singapore’s Digital Economy Agreements

As digitalization tightens its grip on the world economy, countries have sought to enhance and deepen their digital cooperation. Proliferating digital trade and the limited scope of digital commitments in the trade agreements paved the way for Digital Economy Agreements (DEA). DEAs are inter-governmental treaties that “establish digital trade rules and allow for digital economy […]

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Taking stock of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs): Asia and beyond

ACI hosted a webinar CBDC and the Digital Economy: Insights for Asian Emerging Markets on September 28th, 2022. Dr. Taojun Xie was the moderator, Prof. Yiping Huang and Dr. Ammu George were the presenters. On the panel were industry experts – Her Excellency Dr. Serey Chea, Dr. Taimur Baig, and Dr. Xuan Wang. Dr. Xie […]

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Indonesia’s Riau Islands turn the corner: A deep dive into its post-pandemic emergence and growth

An essential determinant of a region’s resilience to the pandemic is its socioeconomic composition. A recent study by ACI evaluates Indonesia’s Riau Islands’ emergence from the pandemic by tracking the province’s socioeconomic development vis-à-vis the provincial government’s Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD). It finds that Riau Islands “emerged relatively unscathed due to its reliance on […]

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