Events

ADB-Asian Think Tank Development Forum 2018

22 August 2018 to 23 August 2018

Canberra

Australia

The Asian Development Bank-Asian Think Tank Development Forum 2018 shared ideas and experiences among affiliated scholars on human capital and skills development programs and interventions that can boost the productivity and employability of workers for future jobs. The forum also explored emerging technologies that foster human resource development and the role of regional cooperation in addressing the challenges of developing human capital and skills.

Program and Learning Materials:

22 Aug 2018
23 Aug 2018

Date	Session / Activity	Presentation Material	Speaker(s)
22 Aug 2018	Opening Ceremony	Welcome Remarks	Shiro Armstrong
22 Aug 2018	Opening Ceremony	Keynote Speech	Andrew Leigh
22 Aug 2018	Opening Ceremony	Opening Remarks	Bambang Susantono
22 Aug 2018	Session 1: Regional Economic Outlook	Economic Outlook and Progress of Regional Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific The growth of developing Asian countries is expected to remain solid amid the continued robust growth in major advanced economies. Domestic demand will...	Cyn-Young Park
22 Aug 2018	Session 1: Regional Economic Outlook	(People’s Republic of) China’s Economic Outlook and the China-US Trade Disputes The People’s Republic of China saw steady economic momentum in the first half of 2018. Aware of potential uncertainties from domestic and international...	Qiangwu Zhou
22 Aug 2018	Session 1: Regional Economic Outlook	Australian Economic Outlook Australia is enjoying its 25th straight year of economic growth. Risks could arise from increasing housing prices and household debt, and weak growth ...	Adam Triggs
22 Aug 2018	Session 2: Expert Presentations: Upgrading Human Capital and Skills Development	Introduction: Upgrading Human Capital and Skills Development for Future Asia Asia has seen a proliferation of educated workers, non-routine cognitive jobs, and jobs in IT, finance, and communications. However, youth unemployment...	Aiko Kikkawa
22 Aug 2018	Session 2: Expert Presentations: Upgrading Human Capital and Skills Development	Financing Tertiary Education Given the need to expand universities in Asia and therefore the critical role of financing, the author seeks to answer questions such as the case for ...	Bruce Chapman
22 Aug 2018	Session 2: Expert Presentations: Upgrading Human Capital and Skills Development	Social Protection in a Competitive Economy: What Have We Learned? Australia has a well-targeted welfare system. Gross income is unequal, but taxes and transfers make it more equal, and government invests a lot in health...	Danielle Wood
22 Aug 2018	Session 2: Expert Presentations: Upgrading Human Capital and Skills Development	Discussant	Shujaat Farooq
22 Aug 2018	Session 3: Country Paper Presentations Part 1: Jobs, Skills Gap, and Skills Development	Changing Task Content of Jobs in India: Implications and Way Forward The number of non-routine cognitive jobs has surged in India, driven by technology and mostly contributed by the services sector. Routine cognitive tasks...	Pankaj Vashisht
22 Aug 2018	Session 3: Country Paper Presentations Part 1: Jobs, Skills Gap, and Skills Development	Labor Market and Skills Gap in the ICT Sector in Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study ICT is emerging as a promising sector in Bangladesh; it employs more than 200,000 people. The market size of ICT services is about $2 billion and aims...	Monzur Hossain
22 Aug 2018	Session 3: Country Paper Presentations Part 1: Jobs, Skills Gap, and Skills Development	S&T Workers for Innovation and Growth in Sri Lanka Science and technology (S&T) workers in Sri Lanka composed 12% of employed workers in 2016. To further increase the percentage of S&T workers, ...	Nisha Arunatilake
22 Aug 2018	Session 4: Policy Panel: Building Human Capital and Skills in Asia, Models, Policies, Issues and Challenges	Panelist	Radhicka Kapoor
22 Aug 2018	Session 4: Policy Panel: Building Human Capital and Skills in Asia, Models, Policies, Issues and Challenges	Panelist	Xiaoyan Qian
22 Aug 2018	Session 4: Policy Panel: Building Human Capital and Skills in Asia, Models, Policies, Issues and Challenges	Panelist	Carunia Firdausy
22 Aug 2018	Session 4: Policy Panel: Building Human Capital and Skills in Asia, Models, Policies, Issues and Challenges	Panelist	Orzala Nemat

Date	Session / Activity	Presentation Material	Speaker(s)
23 Aug 2018	Session 5: Country Paper Presentations Part II	Vocational Training and Labor Market Transition: A Randomized Experiment among Cambodian Disadvantaged Young Adults In Cambodia, a trial provided two-month training in housekeeping, with incentives, to low-income young adults in Phnom Penh. The program found that training...	Chandarany Ouch
23 Aug 2018	Session 5: Country Paper Presentations Part II	The Role of Private Sector in Human Capital and Skill Development in Thailand Challenges in Thailand’s education sector include skills mismatch and employers’ low satisfaction with workers’ skills. The country’s dual vocational ...	Boonwara Sumano Chenphuengpawn
23 Aug 2018	Session 6: Country Paper Presentations Part III	Overcoming Double Income Traps in Thailand and Myanmar Thailand has been a middle-income country for 40 years, while Myanmar has been a low-income country for 55 years. The presenter cites evidence that Thailand...	Ngu Wah Win
23 Aug 2018	Session 7: Policy Recommendations and Way Forward	Forum Summary and Recommendations	Venkatachalam Anbumozhi
23 Aug 2018	Session 7: Policy Recommendations and Way Forward	Forum Summary and Recommendations	Aiko Kikkawa Takenaka
23 Aug 2018	Session 7: Policy Recommendations and Way Forward	ATTN Way Forward	Cyn-Young Park
23 Aug 2018	Session 7: Policy Recommendations and Way Forward	Closing Remarks	Shiro Armstrong