This book asks why some countries have responded to the external constraints and opportunities posed by their global and regional economic context by opening up their economies. In particular, the authors examine the role domestic political and economic factors play in shaping the decision to become more open, or more inward-looking. The countries of Southeast Asia have generally enjoyed economic success in the postwar period. The authors argue that one of the explanations for this success has been their integration into the global division of labor, and analyze decisionmaker's reasons for...

This book asks why some countries have responded to the external constraints and opportunities posed by their global and regional economic context by opening up their economies. In particular, the authors examine the role domestic political and economic factors play in shaping the decision to become more open, or more inward-looking. The countries of Southeast Asia have generally enjoyed economic success in the postwar period. The authors argue that one of the explanations for this success has been their integration into the global division of labor, and analyze decisionmaker's reasons for...

This book examines the recent rapid economic expansion in Thailand, and in Southeast Asia more generally. In a highly original argument, Unger considers the unique organization of Thai society, and the impact this has had on the country's institutions, and their political and economic outcomes. Unger takes an interdisciplinary approach, building on the literatures of social capital and embedded autonomy. The book's general, comparative discussion of social infrastructure is supplemented by case studies of specific sectors.