Ramping Up Results-Based Management in the Philippines

At the country level, results-based management is best introduced as part of a larger public sector reform program, impelled by the government for any number of possible reasons.


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Thorough Planning of Solar Park Mitigates Risk for Investors, Locals

This publication gives an overview of the solar power park in Charanka in India, which has provided local employment, empowered communities, and transformed a desert into a tourist attraction.

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Emergency Flood Damage Rehabilitation in Bangladesh

In terms of geographic extent and economic damage, the floods of mid-2004 were the worst ever experienced by Bangladesh. How did ADB's immediate assistance, which came with simplified administrative processes, fare in terms of rehabilitating the damage?

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Rising from the Rubble: Reconstruction and Rehabilitation after the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake

In 2001, Gujarat, India experienced its worst earthquake in the last half century. Three years later, the rubbles had been cleared and new roads, houses, buildings, and water and power lines were in place. What propelled Gujarat's successful reconstruction and recovery?

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Carbon Credits: Improving Financing and Sustainability of a Landfill Closure Project

In 2 years, the Indian city of Mumbai transformed its great eyesore—a 19.6 hectare landfill filled with 80-foot high waste—into a vast expanse of greenery with considerable revenue-generating potential. How did carbon credit financing catalyze this transformation?

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Expanding Water Supply and Sanitation Coverage through Output-Based Aid

The Asian Development Bank is set to undertake its first output-based aid (OBA) initiative. Will it prove to be the right modality for Nepal's small towns and their water supply and sanitation concerns?

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Chashma: A Case Study in Compliance

Even good projects engender complaints. An irrigation project in Pakistan showcases how ADB responds to such complaints and improves the project.

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Raising Farmer Incomes through High-Value Crops

A project in rural Bangladesh provided farmers with knowledge, credit support, and market linkages to increase productivity.

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Building Narrative Capacity at ADB

ADB makes growing use of knowledge management tools, methods, and approaches but must better capture and store its wealth of tacit knowledge.

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Climate Proofing Timor-Leste's Roads

When climatic changes impact roads to the point that their closure or threatened disappearance becomes commonplace, climate change risks should logically be considered in a rehabilitation project. In a pilot, this is just what Timor-Leste and ADB are learning to do.

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Post-Disaster Action Planning

Rapid development of a series of pragmatic subdistrict action plans embedded in spatial frameworks was needed to prioritize and direct post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts after the 2004 tsunami and 2005 earthquake on the island of Nias, Indonesia. Speedy and accurate data collection and analysis by small teams in consultation with communities and local governments, and simple presentations of results led to a high level of demand for and uptake of the plans. The plans provided a template for effective post-disaster responses and continue to be used by local governments for their development and budget planning. (No. 25 | January 2010)

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Customizing a Decentralized Sanitation Solution for Viet Nam's Peri-urban Areas

Design considerations for sanitation approaches in peri-urban areas cover a wide ground, from topography to climate to behaviors and more. Decentralized sanitation approaches reduce the need for complex design engineering and keep investment costs to a minimum, thus enabling communities to participate in their management and operations. People will invest in sanitation services when they understand the benefits they will gain. (No. 24 | January 2010)

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Complaints from Beneficiaries: A Valuable Resource for Project Implementation

Problems often arise in large and complex projects, leading to complaints from intended beneficiaries. The Asian Development Bank's Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Support Project in Indonesia established several avenues for receiving and responding to complaints at the project level. The complaint-handling systems provided feedback about problems and enabled their early resolution before they escalated into difficult issues, resulting in smoother project implementation.

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Partnering with Communities for Post-Disaster Reconstruction in Aceh and Nias Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Community contracts and block grant modalities successfully channeled reconstruction funds directly to targeted beneficiaries. Community participation hinged on effective support at all levels in partnership with and through the active involvement of local leaders and organizations.Community participation in project delivery systems enhanced ownership; created local employment, especially for women; and produced better quality outputs. By Pieter Smidt and Richard Beresford (No. 18 | October 2009)

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Restoring Pedestrian Accessibility in Indian Cities

Traffic accidents are a major cause of death in low-income countries. India's urban transport policy focuses on continuous road building and ignores the long-term impacts of more roads, preferred modes of transportation, and lack of pedestrian access To reduce traffic fatalities, an integrated and sustainable urban transport policy must restore pedestrian accessibility, and minimize dependence on motor vehicles. [ No. 14 September 2009 ] by Professor Madhav G. Badami
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Rebuilding Low-Heritage Villages After Disasters

Reconstruction and rehabilitation of homes damaged by the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes was a prominent feature of the Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Sector Project in Indonesia. In low-heritage villages, residents were offered the option of building conventional or low-cost "Malay" housing units. [ No. 13 July 2009 ] by Florian Steinberg
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Rebuilding Traditional Houses After Disasters

On Nias Island, ADB's Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Project reconstructed and rehabilitated seven villages damaged by the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes. Through the community contracting method, residents rebuilt their houses that preserved architectural traditions and incorporated earthquake resistant features. [ No. 12 July 2009 ]
by Florian Steinberg
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