Many governments in East Asia claim that the rule of law is a distinctive characteristic of their political system. Major multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank spend considerable resources in the provision of legal reform projects. There is an assumption that the rule of law will result in a transition to market-based economies and even democracy, but is this really true for Asia? This text contests that the liberal notion of the rule of law regulating the exercise of power is unlikely to come about in much of East Asia. Indeed, they argue that the rule...

The fallout from the crisis in Asia has been immense. Asia's position as the global economy's growth engine is now no longer tenable. As the political and economic regimes that defined Asian capitalism struggle to survive, it is by no means clear that free markets, transparent and accountable systems of governance and more vigorous civil societies will follow. The contributors to this book argue that processes of globalization are driven by complex political forces and that it is not enough to look at economic factors in isolation. Chapters focus on the different political and market...

This edited collection explores issues surrounding the provision of collective goods within the context of post-crisis East and Southeast Asia. It includes case studies on Korea, Indonesia, China, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore among others.