"What Elephant?" Framing Governance Reforms in Real-World Conditions

As mindsets and institutions take a long time to change, implementing sustainable reforms instead of practicing good enough governance is the right approach. Reforms, however, are not sustained when preferences differ between those stated and the ones revealed. Political commitment is a necessary condition for sustainable reforms to take place at all levels of government.

"What Elephant?" Framing Governance Reforms in Real-World Conditions

Focusing on a country's institutions and its political economy enhances understanding of the reform process. This learning event was held in the context that even as Asia has prospered under real-world conditions, "good governance" tends to be displaced by "good enough governance." It discussed how to frame and communicate reforms in this conceptual shift.

Seminar on State-Owned Enterprise and Public Sector Management Reforms

Given the relevance of the Pacific state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform experience to other regions of Asia, this learning event was jointly organized by Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Governance Thematic Group and Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) to discuss the findings from a decade of SOE reform in the Pacific. New Zealand’s first Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Honorable Richard Prebble, CBE, who led one of the most comprehensive SOE reform programs ever undertaken anywhere in the world, talked the experiences of New Zealand and neighboring Pacific countries.

Oscar Moreno

The Honorable Oscar S. Moreno, Mayor of Cagayan de Oro City, has ushered the city and its constituents to greater heights, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Under his stewardship, the City has been ranked as among the Most Competitive Cities in the Philippines, second only to Makati City. This means that the leadership of Mayor Moreno has resulted in economic dynamism, government efficiency, and the setting up in place of appropriate infrastructure.

He is also Chair of the League of City Mayors in the Philippines.

Shin Sung Hwan

Sunghwan Shin is the President of the Korea Institute of Finance (KIF), a leading think tank in Korea focusing on financial policies. Prior to the KIF, he researched and taught at Hongik University and at the Korea Fixed Income Research Institute. He has also worked for the World Bank as a Senior Financial Officer managing the IBRD’s capital and risks of the IFC’s liquid assets. In 2013, he was the President of the Korea Pension Academic Association. Dr.

External Support for Decentralization Reforms and Local Governance Systems in the Asia-Pacific

Organized by the Governance Thematic Group of ADB in partnership with the Decentralization and Local Governance network, this learning event on External Support for Decentralization Reforms and Local Governance Systems in the Asia-Pacific: Better Performance, Higher Impact? focused on reform processes and their results in ADB's developing member countries. It reviewed both national reform processes, as well as support strategies and instruments provided by development partners.