Recent Economic Trends in Southeast Asia: Introduction

Abstract

The following papers were presented at a session of the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Association of Asian Studies held in Pittsburgh, 22–24 October 1982. The countries that are discussed (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka) have a number of fundamental structural characteristics in common. All are open economies — i.e. foreign trade is a key element in their economic structure. All are still heavily dependent on the export of primary products, although light manufactures currently account for a small but increasing share of total exports. All have agricultural systems based on monsoon rice culture. All became politically independent after World War II. Three of the four are free enterprise economies while the fourth (Sri Lanka) shifted from a socialist to a free enterprise venue a few years ago. All possess enterprising populations with literacy rates that fall somewhere between 60 and 90 per cent — uniformly high by less developed country (LDC) standards. The importance of personal relationships and a profound sense of individualism permeate these cultures, and the establishment of a modern bureaucracy is a relatively recent phenomenon.