Mukul G. Asher is an Indian national, specializing in social security and public financial management issues in Asia. He has published widely in national and international journals and has authored or edited more than 10 books. He is on the editorial advisory boards of several journals, including the International Social Security Review. He has been a consultant to multilateral organizations and has led executive training programs for officials of several countries, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Brunei, and Tanzania. His interactions with media have been extensive.
Fukunari Kimura has been Chief Economist of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) since 2008 and Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University, since 2000. He obtained his PhD (in Economics) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991.