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Emigration continues to shape the demographic and economic landscapes of Pacific Island Countries (PICs), though patterns and impacts vary widely across the region. This paper examines emigration trends in PICs and their implications on human capital and growth. We find that traditional emigration, which is largely characterized by a permanent relocation of young, highly skilled individuals—primarily to Australia and New Zealand—results in a brain drain in home countries. Moreover, many of these emigrants work in low-skilled jobs abroad, indicating significant skill mismatches and limited skill acquisition. More recent emigration has been driven by the expansion of labor mobility arrangements (LMAs) in Australia and New Zealand, involving low-skilled young workers who typically return home. These LMAs offer opportunities to mitigate brain drain, reduce youth unemployment, and support near-term economic growth through remittances. At the same time, children of LMA workers are more likely to drop out of school, thus undermining human capital accumulation and limiting long-term output gains. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that temporary labor mobility can be a helpful development instrument, while complementary policies are needed to safeguard children’s education, promote the productive use of remittances, and strengthen skills development and job creation at home.
This technical assistance report evaluates Ukraine’s Asset Declaration System (ADS) managed by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), focusing on its effectiveness in deterring corruption and verifying public officials’ asset declarations. The report finds that while Ukraine’s ADS is one of the largest and most advanced globally, it faces significant challenges related to the overwhelming volume of declarations, limited institutional capacity, and gaps in access to critical financial data, especially cross-border information. The adoption of a risk-based approach has improved targeting and detection rates, but structural constraints and legal loopholes remain. Key issues include insufficient inter-agency cooperation, and legislative gaps in lifestyle monitoring and sanctions. To enhance the ADS’ effectiveness and sustainability, the report recommends recalibrating the declarant population to focus on verification on high-level and high-risk officials in corruption-vulnerable sectors (e.g., state-owned enterprises, customs and public procurement). Complementary reforms should also strengthen legal frameworks for lifestyle monitoring and sanctions, improve access to foreign financial data, enhance inter-agency cooperation, and shift performance metrics toward impact-oriented indicators to improve the system’s deterrence and enforcement capabilities.
The technical assistance report assesses the effectiveness of Ukraine’s Asset Declaration System (ADS) in preventing and detecting corruption among public officials. The report finds the digital ADS to be advanced, but faces challenges related to verification capacity, access to financial information, and inter-agency cooperation. Reforms to strengthen risk-based approach, enhance legal frameworks, and adopt impact-oriented performance metrics will enhance the ADS’s effectiveness as a strategic anti-corruption tool.
The question for policymakers is how to seize new opportunities to renew Asia’s economic growth
In a world of frequent shocks, central bank communications should anchor expectations by explaining how policy responds to changing conditions, rather than committing to a fixed path
Many G20 economies face constraints from excessive labor, product-market, or consumer regulations, an IMF survey shows
Authors probe complex issues to shed light on global economic challenges
After restoring stability, Argentina needs to turn hard-won gains into lasting prosperity
Sustained rebalancing requires policy action in both surplus and deficit countries
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