Modern civil service must be composed of competent, dedicated, and mission-driven public servants to harness opportunities and improve public service delivery with emerging technology. It also needs to proactively adapt and respond to evolving challenges. This publication surveys the current state of civil service in Indonesia from a comprehensive, data-driven perspective. Based on the civil service’s size and composition, data on public service delivery, and public opinion, it identifies the current challenges facing Indonesia’s bureaucracy. While progress has been made in the last decade, substantial room for improvement remains to increase the basic competencies of civil servants in the country.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has a long and successful record of poverty reduction. As incomes rise, the PRC’s new poverty reduction strategy needs to treat poverty as multidimensional, reinvigorate rural development, develop an integrated rural–urban poverty strategy, and include the vulnerable segments of the population in poverty policy. This report delves into the questions: how much fiscal support is needed to finance social services and protection, and how much should be shouldered by individuals and households? It focuses on vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly, young children of rural migrants, and those whose access to health care is jeopardized by urbanization and aging.