The United States benefits from ADB membership in two ways. First, it engages the region through a multilateral approach. Second, ADB projects yield numerous opportunities for American business. ADB is committed to halving the proportion of very poor people by 2015. ADB seeks to reduce poverty in Asia and the Pacific by half within the same time.
Growth expands public revenues that can be used for better infrastructure and social services.
Growth alone, however, is not sufficient to eliminate poverty. Social development and the elimination of gender disparity are also important. So is the nature and quality of governance. Good governance ensures the transparent use of public funds, promotes effective delivery of public services and helps to establish the rule of law, especially the enforcement of contractual and property rights. ADB activities also produce an enabling environment for private business, which generates markets and jobs and relieves pressure on public budgets.