Reports, working papers, policy briefs and other publications

This policy brief analyses the situation in Lao People’s Democratic Republic using available data and supported by work of the NIA team from the Macroeconomic Research Institute, Lao Academy of Social and Economic Sciences, and the Lao Statistics Bureau, working with ESCAP on NTAs and NIAs; it is drawn from a more in-depth paper, which also covers Maldives and Viet Nam. This paper is one of several knowledge products that have been produced as part of an ESCAP capacity-development project on NIAs.

This policy brief analyses the situation in Viet Nam using available data and supported by work of the NIA team from the National Statistics Office of Viet Nam working with ESCAP on NTAs and NIAs; it is drawn from a more in-depth paper, which also covers Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Maldives. This paper is one of several knowledge products that have been produced as part of an ESCAP capacity-development project on NIAs.

China’s recent economic transformation has brought prosperity but also challenges in addressing inequality. To counter disparities, the government expanded its role in the economy and invested in social welfare. Education reforms ensured nine years of compulsory schooling, expanded higher education enrolment tenfold and strengthened vocational training. Healthcare coverage went from limited access in the early 2000s to near-universal insurance by 2024, while pension schemes now cover over 95 per cent of the population. Between 2010 and 2014, public spending on education, healthcare and pensions more than doubled, narrowing gaps across income groups.