Methodological Nationalism and the Misunderstanding of East Asian Industrialisation

Abstract

This study argues that the controversy over the role of public policy in East Asian industrialisation should not be seen as a question of whether economic success can be attributed to states or markets, but rather as a conflict over policy frames. East Asian policies analyse national trends in a global context and have sought to achieve nationalist economic goals; the currently dominant development policy paradigm attributes national economic success mainly to internal factors yet seeks to promote a liberal international economic order. The study examines misunderstanding which arises when East Asian success is explained in the terms of the dominant paradigm, focusing on ‘outward‐oriented’ as a key word, the World Bank study The East Asian Miracle, and the flying geese model of development.