Asia-pacific Development Journal, December 2006

The secretariat of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations and serves as the main economic and social development centre for the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific. Its mandate is to foster cooperation between its 53 members and 9 associate members. It provides the strategic link between global and country-level programmes and issues. It supports Governments of countries in the region in consolidating regional positions and advocates regional approaches to meeting the region’s unique socio-economic challenges in a globalizing world. The ESCAP secretariat is located in Bangkok, Thailand. Please visit the ESCAP website at for further information. Asia-Pacific Development Journal Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2006 Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2006 i Asia-Pacific Development Journal Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2006 ASIA-PACIFIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2006 United Nations publication Sales No. E.06.II.F.32 Copyright © United Nations 2006 All rights reserved Manufactured in Thailand ISBN 13: 978-92-1-120490-2 ISSN: 1020-1246 ST/ESCAP/2432 The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The opinions, figures and estimates set forth in this publication are the responsibility of the authors, and should not necessarily be considered as reflecting the views or carrying the endorsement of the United Nations. Mention of firm names and commercial products does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations. This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided that the source is acknowledged. The ESCAP Publications Office would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use may be made of this publication for resale or any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of reproduction, should be addressed to the Secretary of the Publications Board, United Nations, New York. ii Asia-Pacific Development Journal Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2006 Advisory Board Members PROFESSOR KARINA CONSTANTINO-DAVID Executive Director, School of Social Work University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines PROFESSOR PETER G. WARR Sir John Crawford Professor of Agricultural Economics Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies Australian National University, Canberra, Australia PROFESSOR SHOICHI YAMASHITA Director The International Centre for the Study of East Asian Development, Kitakyushu, 803-8014, Japan PROFESSOR REHMAN SOBHAN Executive Chairman, Centre for Policy Dialogue Dhaka, Bangladesh PROFESSOR SYED NAWAB HAIDER NAQVI President, Institute for Development Research, Islamabad, Pakistan PROFESSOR SUMAN K. BERY Director-General, National Council of Applied Economic Research New Delhi, India PROFESSOR JOMO K. SUNDARAM Assistant Secretary-General on Economic Development Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations, New York, NY 10017, United States of America PROFESS