A perception survey in Asian and Pacific countries has found that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is seen as helpful to developing countries but is also seen as bureaucratic and slow.
The perception survey, commissioned by the ADB itself, in 2009, targeted 900 stakeholders in 31 ADB member countries. The ADB commissioned a professional polling firm to get feedback from partners and opinion leaders about key development issues in Asia and the ADB's role in fighting poverty.
The latest poll, which follows a baseline survey conducted in 2006, included randomly selected stakeholders in governments, development partners, the private sector, civil society, media, and academia. Respondents, some from Sri Lanka, were required to have a basic knowledge of the ADB to take part in the survey.
The survey found that a large majority (90%), of respondents felt the ADB had a good impact on overall development of developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. A majority (87%) also felt the ADB was helping developing countries meet their development goals.
However, the ADB’s organisational structure was seen as weak. The ADB was seen as bureaucratic and slow by over 60% of the respondents. It was also felt that the ADB could improve its project implementation and project monitoring, although a majority of stakeholders (60%), felt the ADB has already taken adequate steps to control corruption in its projects.
The ADB’s knowledge and understanding of the countries it works in, was seen as a strength.
Stakeholders cited corruption in their own countries as one of the biggest obstacle to development. Other threats to development in the Asia-Pacific region, as seen by respondents of the survey, included environmental degradation, poor governance, poor infrastructure, widening rich-poor gap and inadequate health and education facilities.
However, the survey notes that the ADB’s strategy 2020 prioritises many of these areas of concern, suggesting that the ADB’s core operational areas are in line with what stakeholders expect from the ADB.
|
E-mail
