Heiko Schrader is an economist and sociologist. He wrote his Ph. D. thesis and a book on traditional and contemporary trading patterns in the Nepal Himalayas and beyond. Furthermore, he edited a book, together with Hans-Dieter Evers, on "The Moral Economy of Trade - Ethnicity and Developing Markets". This book is the outcome of a five-year research project on the history of finance in India and Indonesia that he completed with his Habilitation at the Faculty of Sociology, University of Bielefeld.

The past few decades have seen special and changing emphasis in policy frameworks of rural financial intermediation in developing countries, varying from the distribution of cheap credit via specialized farm credit institutions, to the building of linkages between banks and savings groups, to attempts to use traders or NGOs as new conduits of lending. The destructive impact of cheap credit programs on rural financial markets has been the subject of two conferences organized by the Ohio State University in the USA in 1976 and 1981, in conjunction with the Agency for International Development and the World Bank. They resulted in a collection of readings edited by J.D. Von Pischke, Dale W Adams and Gordon Donald, Rural Financial Markets in Developing Countries (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press 1983), followed by Undermining Rural Development With Cheap Credit, edited by Dale W Adams, Douglas H. Graham and J.D. Von Pischke (Boulder: Westview Press 1984). Acknowledging the increasing interest of researchers and policymakers in the roles and uses of informal financial intermediaries, the Ohio State University subsequently organized a Seminar in Washington, D.C., in 1989 that produced Informal Finance in LowIncome Countries, edited by Dale W Adams and Delbert A. Fitchett (Boulder: Westview Press 1992).

This book raises the issue of the practice of patrimonial power with a focus on habitations, particularly in the urban areas of Indonesia. An assemblage of interdisciplinary studies within the framework of environmental humanities, covering the arts, architecture, urban studies, geography, cultural anthropology, and sociology, this multifaceted framework divulges the interactive connectivity between Indonesia’s patrimonial culture and the socio-culturally constructed system of habitation. The interdisciplinary study of the pertinent practices of patrimonial power that have been represented and been manifested by various political and traditional regimes in terms of the built environment and habitation in Indonesia contributes to a new understanding of Indonesian urban spatial development, from the pre-colonial era to the present. The book poses that in order to understand the politics of Indonesia, one must understand the culture and tradition of the political leadership of the country. The author presents such an understanding in exploring and unpacking the relationship between people and place that constructs, develops, sustains, and conserves Indonesian culture and traditions of habitation. This book is of interest to graduate scholars and researchers in Asian Studies in numerous disciplines, including urban studies, urban planning and design, political science, architecture, anthropology of space, public administration, and political philosophy.

This book explores the catching-up process of a group of large emerging markets: the New Economic Powers. This process is extremely robust and should be considered as the defining trend of our age, resulting in a pivotal change in world economics and politics. The outcome is that the West cannot dominate the world as it did in the previous 200 years. Today's world is pluralistic, and the larger emerging markets are becoming increasingly influential. That is the new reality, which at times caused, and will cause, further discomfort and uncertainty in the West. In the eight chapters, the viewpoints on globalization of nine New Economic Powers are discussed. Each chapter is an essential element in understanding the process of globalization and the role the New Economic Powers play in it. Essentially, their views are guided by a fundamental different look about the role of the market and the government in society, compared to what we see in the West. The New Economic Powers understand the power of the market to create prosperity, but at the same time emphasize the need for government interference. This delicate balance is particularly visible with respect to their international trade and investment policies, which bring them in conflict with Western countries and multilateral institutions such as the WTO and the IMF. The book helps the reader to understand the fundamental choices made by policymakers in the New Economic Powers.

Southeast Asia’s Credit Revolution describes and explains the rise of microfinance – the provision of credit and other financial services for the poor – in Southeast Asia, over the past four decades the most consistently successful region of the developing world. In recent years microfinance has come to be seen as a key weapon in the battle against global poverty, generating more enthusiasm and optimism than any other development strategy. Southeast Asia has a special place in the history of microfinance. Historically, Southeast Asian societies and economies were perceived as almost uniquely debt-ridden and credit-constrained. In the twentieth century, however, the region was in the forefront of the modern microfinance revolution. This book asks what factors have made it possible for formal microfinance institutions to replace moneylenders and other traditional credit providers. Bringing together economists, sociologists, anthropologists and historians, the book covers seven Southeast Asian countries. The topic is explored from cultural and institutional as well as economic perspectives, and policy-relevant lessons are offered for the design of successful microfinance institutions. Focusing on recent developments while putting them in historical context, this will be an important text for scholars and students of economic history, finance, institutional economics, and Asian Studies.

This report assesses climate finance in Asia and the Pacific and analyzes how it can be harnessed by developing member countries to expand climate action and spur low-carbon, resilient growth. Designed to help governments and development partners identify and address barriers, it offers a subregional breakdown and underscores the need for equitable access to funds to help countries meet their climate targets. It assesses financing gaps, considers how to increase investment, and outlines ways to scale up climate finance so that it reaches the countries and sectors that need it most.

This book explores the establishment process, mechanism design, and role orientation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) under the new background of global economic governance. After the international financial crisis in 2008, the process of economic globalization and the comparison of international forces have presented a new situation, and the global economic governance system since has entered a period of deep adjustment and transformation. At the same time, the problems and drawbacks of the original multilateral development financial system have become increasingly prominent. This not only provides a historical opportunity for the establishment of the AIIB, but also gives it a new important role in the global multilateral development financial system. The innovation of the AIIB’s governance model, such as organizational structure, equity, and voting rights allocation, makes it more efficient in operation. And in practice, it is playing an increasingly important role in promoting policy connectivity, infrastructure connectivity, trade connectivity, financial connectivity and people-to-people connectivity of Asian region.