When both women and men contribute to a country’s economic life on an equal basis, they help building stronger societies and stronger economies. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Many developing countries are enjoying demographic changes. They have a younger demographic composition so they’re not burdened by legacy policy. Now, if you combine this with a good macro policy and ambitious structural policy, those countries are able to move more flexibly and be more agile. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
While prosperity and longevity arrive together, they cannot be treated the same. With greater wealth, people in Asia may not have to work as many hours as they do now. But living longer means they will have to work more years, not fewer. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Although many people in Aceh are still poor and vulnerable, the province resembles nothing like the place I saw the day after the tsunami hit. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Sometimes our definitions fall short. Take, for example, the way we view income and labor. It simply doesn’t cover enough of the work that women, and in particular poor women, are doing – especially in their own households and the vast ‘informal’ economy in which most of the world’s poorest people work. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
The confidence is really driven by the woman – whether she can have the confidence that there will be enough earning or income to finance all the domestic spending – but also by the middle-income class, which for many Asian countries has become the growth power for the economy. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Changing much-cherished bank secrecy laws is worth the effort. Corruption, tax evasion, and the capture of natural resource revenues undermine the rule of law, weaken the social fabric, erode citizens’ trust in institutions, fuel conflict and insecurity, and hamper job creation. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
If managed well, urbanization can create enormous opportunities: allowing innovation and new ideas to emerge, saving energy, land and natural resources, managing climate and the risk of disasters. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
People now, especially with the Internet, are connected. They have an expectation of behaviour, of accountability, avoiding conflict and fair and just competition. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Asia can learn much from Europe. Trade could be made easier in Asia, and the conditions for doing business could be improved by reducing red tape. In this regard, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea have done better than the best in Europe. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Financial inclusion matters not only because it promotes growth, but because it helps ensure prosperity is widely shared. Access to financial services plays a critical role in lifting people out of poverty, in empowering women, and in helping governments deliver services to their people. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
It is rarely the quick fix that goes the farthest. So don’t get tempted by political cycles and the lure of electoral wins. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
New leaders must also expect and manage setbacks. In post-revolutionary times, expectations are high, and the obstacles to meeting them are enormous. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Paternalistic regulations often prohibit women from holding jobs in certain industries: In the Russian Federation, women cannot drive trucks in the agriculture sector; in Belarus, they cannot be carpenters; in Kazakhstan, they cannot be welders. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Being able to save, make non-cash payments, send or receive remittances, get credit, or get insurance can be instrumental in raising living standards and helping businesses prosper. It helps people to invest more in education or health care. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
At the World Bank, we are already working with our clients in developing countries to improve their governance systems, collect taxes, fight corruption, and recover stolen assets. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Economic success without accountability and social inclusion is not sustainable, and new governments often must face tough choices in order to protect the poor and vulnerable. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion are global problems, not just challenges for developing countries. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
I remember my first meeting with my management team when I became Indonesia’s Minister of Finance. I was the youngest person and the first woman ever to hold that job. Everybody else in the room was male. I knew then that I had to work harder than any man to prove to them that I was capable. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
If women had better access to the financial system – even so much as a basic deposit account at a bank – it would be a major step in the direction of greater wealth and greater economic empowerment. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Over time, Europeans have come to rely on governments to protect them from the rougher facets of private enterprise and to look after them in old age. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
China’s urbanization supported the country’s impressive growth and rapid economic transformation. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Many emerging countries are facing the same issue of overheating and inflation because they have been vigorously expanding fiscal and monetary policy to counter the 2008 shock. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
We know we cannot achieve our twin goals of ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity without ending poverty and creating equality for women and girls. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
In many countries, laws still work to women’s disadvantage – for example, by requiring married women to obtain their husbands’ permission to register a business, own property, or work. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
People feel they are not participating in the decision-making process. Decisions are exclusive to those at the very top. You have grown up with crony capitalism and it creates ever more resentment. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
I have my own experience in Indonesia, of course. Sometimes in these transition situations, the new governments are still clumsy and awkward in responding to this new environment in which they operate. The only thing in their DNA is the old regime. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Infrastructure alone won’t end poverty. The World Bank had to learn this lesson, too. While we believed too much in bricks and mortar in our early days, we now understand that bringing together funding, technical expertise, and tested knowledge goes much further. – Sri Mulyani Indrawati
