Japan's economy has been something of an enigma in recent years with its government resorting to all sorts of tactics to spark consumer spending. This is a self-contained analysis of Japanese saving behaviour that has important implications for all developing economies.

This book provides a detailed cross-country study of the automotive industry in South East Asia. Abbott argues that, contrary to prevailing opinion, the diffusion of manufacturing in the Asia-Pacific has been characterized by hierarchical networks of production linked to Japan for technology.

The 1997 South Korean financial crisis not only shook the country itself but also sent shock waves through the financial world at large. This impressive book critically assesses the conventional wisdom surrounding the Korean crisis and the performance of the IMF-sponsored reform programme.
Looking first at the strengths and weaknesses of 'Korea Inc.' in comparison with other East Asian countries, the authors describe the challenges faced by Korea in the 1990s due to the acceleration of globalization. By arguing that the transition attempted by Korea was badly conceived and ill designed,...

This book, written by economists of Vietnamese origin, is an extremely comprehensive collection on economic issues facing Vietnam. The spectrum of topics covered includes macroeconomics, microeconomics, international trade, agriculture, education, communication, institutional reforms, income distribution and poverty measurement.
Themes include:
* the success of Vietnam's Doi-Moi in the early 1990's
* the slowdown of economic growth in recent years
* the rapidly changing external environment due to globalization
* the growing environmental degradation and income inequality

There are competing theories to explain the reasons behind the international competitiveness of manufacturing in Asia. Analysing these different theories should bring important lessons, not just for Asia, but for developing economies the world over.

The Suzhou Industrial Park Project, a collaborative venture between the governments of China and Singapore, began in 1992 in order for both areas to mutually benefit from foreign direct investment. In an era of rapid economic globalization, in which national governments were competing rather than collaborating, this project was highly unusual. This book focuses on the various relationships between the two governments throughout the course of the venture as well as examining why certain strategies were adopted, how they were implemented and their outcomes. Pereira carefully outlines the aim of...

Global economic integration, widening communication networks and government policies supportive of private enterprise are changing opportunities for accumulating wealth, status and power. In varying degrees throughout Asia, this process is accompanied by the development of service enterprises such as banking, insurance, legal firms and IT firms, which provide access to the resources required for a profitable connection to the wider world. This book focuses on the key role played by producer services in shaping new business areas and new patterns for social mobility, and their interdependence...

In an era of dramatic transformation, this book examines the role of the private sector in China's economic growth, controversially suggesting that it has been driving the reform. The contributors provides an analysis of the development and emerging paths towards private enterprise as well as looking at market reform, governance and innovation.

For many years up until 1997, Korea was widely seen in economic and financial circles as something of a miracle. The financial crisis that Korea experienced then did much to set its economy back, but by 2001 it was still the 13th largest economy in terms of GDP in the world.
This enticing collection, with contributions from experts with an impressive knowledge of Korea and its economy, charts not only the well documented causes of the crisis, but more importantly, its response and recovery from it. With an admirable scholarly rigour, the book covers such topics as:
*the origin and...

During the second half of the twentieth century, development in the Asia-Pacific region has been dominated by industrialization. However, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, services, in particular, finance, information and creative services, have become deeply embedded in the processes of urban growth. In Asia-Pacific the rise of service industries has lead to national modernization programmes and globalization strategies. Services are also driving change in the internal form of city regions and are being actively deployed as instruments of metropolitan reconfiguration and land use...