PHILANTHROPY IN ASIA GETS MORE PROFESSIONAL

But that is not making it more like giving in the West

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Within global philanthropy, the spotlight generally falls on the wealthy West. It is tycoons from the rich world who are lauded for giving away vast sums. The most talked about trends in giving are set in America, in particular. But with rapid economic growth, a new generation of wealthy donors is emerging in the developing world, too, and nowhere more so than in Asia.

Philanthropy in Asia is very different from its Western counterpart. As in all societies, there is an age-old culture of generosity across the region. Most research into philanthropy defines it as formal financial gifts to registered charities and, by that definition, America is the most generous nation on Earth. But a lot of philanthropy in Asia, and the rest of the developing world, is informal. The Charities Aid Foundation, a group, runs surveys to find the world's most generous countries. It measures a combination of whether people donate money (in whatever quantity), spend time volunteering with organisations and lend strangers a helping hand. By that broader definition of giving, Indonesia is the world's most generous country. Myanmar is in the top ten, too (as are several African countries and the United States).

Such small-scale, informal generosity continues to provide vital assistance within poor communities across the region. But an economic boom has now created a new class of super-rich. There are 896 billionaires in Asia, more than any other part of the world (America has 746), with a combined $3.4 trillion in assets.

They have started to give in a much more formal way, and a younger generation is starting to shake things up, too.

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