East Asia's Development Research Articles

Disrupting Hegemonic Liberalism in East Asia

By the end of the twentieth century, it was conventional, among social and political theory circles in developed countries of the West, to assume that a liberal capitalist democracy would be the endpoint of political economic development. However, this hegemonic desire of liberalism has been frustrated by the apparent inability of liberalism to take root despite rapid capitalist economic development in East Asia. This is partly because the countries in East Asia are newly minted nations that emerged after the end of the Second World War and were immediately plunged into the cold war. Under cold war conditions, as long as the countries were anticommunist, authoritarian excesses of the governments of the new nations were condoned. This provided opportunities for political and economic developments in East Asia that were alternatives to the historically determined liberal capitalist democracies of the United States and Europe. Three alternatives are notable: the development of a very significant state capitalist sector in the economy; the modification of democratic electoral procedures and ideology to emphasize trust in government instead of representation; and, motivated by the perceived need to avoid community corrosive liberalism, a development of communitarian ideology. As these developments consolidate, and the social and economic benefits become obvious to the citizenry, the likelihood that East Asian nations will adopt the standard form of liberal capitalist democracy recedes.

“We Asians”? Modernity, Visual Art Exhibitions, and East Asia

Rapid economic development in East Asia in the 1980s–1990s saw a revivification of the idea of “Asia,” a region no longer regarded as backward. This article examines the East Asian visual arts scene, one of the most visible sites of cultural interaction in which the idea of contemporary New Asia was curated into “being” in Japanese, Australian, and Singapore museums. A key goal was the attempt to imagine a cosmopolitan-multicultural Asia able to transcend national boundaries, even as there was the awareness that the region's cultural diversity and history of political fractures—primarily between China and Japan—made this endeavor difficult. The “contemporary” in this context is simultaneously a critical (or postcolonial) modernity that embraces notions of multiculturalism for “rethinking” Asia and a fractured modernity that does not quite manage to be a break from modern East Asian history. Two significant moments in the exhibitions of Asia are examined. The first is the Fukuoka Art Museum's First Asian Artists Exhibition (1979–1980); the second is the Japan Foundation's and the Tokyo City Opera Art Gallery's Under Construction: New Dimensions of Asian Art (2000–2002). A “global-regional” curatorial framework, as opposed to the “international-regional” framework of 1979–1980, stood for that attempt to think of the potentialities of a critical modernity in the light of a more economically integrated regionalism.

A Panel Threshold Model of Tourism Specialization and Economic Development

The significant impact of international tourism in stimulating economic growth is especially important from a policy perspective. For this reason, the relationship between international tourism and economic growth would seem to be an interesting empirical issue. In particular, if there is a causal link between international tourism demand and economic growth, then appropriate policy implications may be developed. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether tourism specialization is important for economic development in East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, over the period 1991-2008. The impact of the degree of tourism specialization, which is incorporated as a threshold variable, on economic growth is examined for a wide range of countries at different stages of economic development. The empirical results from threshold estimation identify two endogenous cut-off points, namely 14.97% and 17.50%. This indicates that the entire sample should be divided into three regimes. The results from panel threshold regression show that there exists a positive and significant relationship between economic growth and tourism in two regimes, the regime with the degree of tourism specialization lower than 14.97% (regime 1) and the regime with the degree of tourism specialization between 14.97% and 17.50% (regime 2). However, the magnitudes of the impact of tourism on economic growth in those two regimes are not the same, with the higher impact being found in regime 2. An insignificant relationship between economic growth and tourism is found in regime 3, in which the degree of tourism specialization is greater than 17.50%. The empirical results suggest that tourism growth does not always lead to economic growth.

Rethinking Colonialism and the Origins of the Developmental State in East Asia

Previous studies on economic development in East Asia focus exclusively on the recent period (since the 1960s) and posit that East Asian “miracles” were largely a result of the state's exceptional capacity to implement consistent industrial policy. Yet, they neglect the question of the origins of the developmental state. To confront this neglect, this article makes a macro-historical comparison between Northeast and Southeast Asia, highlighting colonialism, the role of income inequality, and subsequent socio-economic transformations. It is argued that a crucial historical phase for new economic trajectory was the decolonisation period when East Asian countries had an opportunity to break away from negative colonial legacies. This article sheds new light on the ways in which colonialism shapes long-term economic development in East Asia.

Exemplary mathematics lessons: a view from the West

Cross-cultural comparative research provides a powerful means of achieving better understanding of one’s own practice. This article contrasts exemplary mathematics teaching, as highlighted in this special issue on its practice and development in East Asia, with the increasing emphasis on effective teaching in the West. It provides an overview of the papers in this issue and examines the similarities and differences between what is seen as exemplary practice and the ways in which its development is supported in the educational systems represented. It attempts to identify some of the cultural factors that influence our understanding of what constitutes exemplary practice and the possibilities for its development in the East and the West.

Regional Development and the Competitive Dynamics of Global Production Networks: An East Asian Perspective

Yeung H. W.-C. Regional development and the competitive dynamics of global production networks: an East Asian perspective, Regional Studies. The debate on the nature and dynamics of regional development in both academic and policy circles has now moved on from the earlier focus on endogenous regional assets to analysing the complex relationship between globalization and regional change. This position paper attempts to engage with this debate through the experience of regional development in East Asia. The paper shows that regional development cannot be understood independently of the changing dynamics of global production networks. While the existing literature on East Asia tends to focus on the state as the key driver of economic development at the national and regional levels, it is argued that the developmental state is a necessary but not sufficient condition for regional development to take place. Instead, one needs to study the complex strategic coupling of those economic actors, particularly large ...

International Relations Theory in Flux in View of China’s ‘Peaceful Rise’

This paper will first explore some essential theoretical backgrounds, which contribute to the understanding of the theory of hegemonic stability (a core strand of IPE theory) with a view to examine some empirical challenges of US hegemonic power after the Second World War. Secondly, it will go on to look at the notion of neo-liberalist regional development in East Asia to understand in what ways China’s entitlement creed has been increasingly instrumental in modifying the region institutional context. Third, it attempts to apply the constructivist approach in trying to locate the culturally embedded soft power entitlement of which China has been trying to capitalize on.

FORAGERS AND FARMERS IN THE JAPANESE ISLANDS] Yayoi farmers reconsidered: new perspectives on agricultural development in East Asia

FORAGERS AND FARMERS IN THE JAPANESE ISLANDS] Yayoi farmers reconsidered: new perspectives on agricultural development in East Asia

Labor and Politics in East Asia: The Case of Failure of the Encompassing Labor Organization in Korea

Olsonian theory supposes that when labor unions are organized in an encompassing manner at the industrial and national levels, they can better prevent collective action problems and bring about more stable industrial relations. This theory regards the encompassing labor organization as a positive institution. However, the Korean case shows weak theoretical and empirical relevance for the proposition, as institutionalized talks between government, business, and labor did not contribute to establishing stability in industrial relations. In some respects, the situation only worsened. The Korean case therefore suggests that the optimistic propositions of encompassing organizations of labor require a careful reassessment. Key words: South Korea, economic development in East Asia, industrial relations Introduction The East Asian developmental state model that achieved industrialization through the state's strategic intervention has been challenged since the late 1990s by the neo-liberal paradigm, which emphasizes free markets and comparative advantage in international trade. East Asian states enforced market-oriented policies to create a more flexible labor market and a more competitive corporate structure. In the case of Japan, however, the unemployment rate increased owing to the corporate structural adjustment drive implemented during its long-term depression in the 1990s, which made employment and subsistence of labor the focal point of industrial relations. In an attempt to overcome the crisis, the employers' organization and the federation of unions reached an agreement on the stability of employment.1 It has been argued that the joint consultation system based upon harmony and cooperation contributed to the stabilization of industrial relations and the recovery of the economy in Japan. What about the case of Korea? The Kim Dae-jung government (1998-2003) initiated a social pact between the government, business, and labor in an attempt to overcome the economic crisis of 1997. It launched the Tripartite Commission on January 15, 1998 and succeeded in persuading business and labor to reach the so-called 9 February Social Pact, which stipulated a mass redundancy of regular workers and dispatched workers. However, the Tripartite Commission, in effect, stopped operating as the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) had seceded from it in February and April 1999, respectively. The third period of the Tripartite Commission was reluctantly resumed in September 1999, but the KCTU still refused to return to the bargaining table. The socioeconomic condition of the concluding social pact in 1998 was poor. Since his days as a presidential candidate, Kim Dae-jung had considered introducing social corporatism2 as well as a tripartite social pact with a focus on realizing stable industrial relations.3 However, the 9 February Social Pact of 1998 was the result of the government's coerced political bargaining between business and labor. It did not result from a rational choice of participating actors. The existing studies proposing to introduce a social pact in Korea expected that the corporatist way of interest mediation would contribute to economic stabilization and development.4 It was based upon the Olsonian logic that the stability of industrial relations can be better achieved when labor organizations are encompassing-that is to say, when they are centrally organized at an industrial or a national level rather than consisting of individual, firm-based labor organizations such as are usually found in the Anglo-American world.5 However, the social pact lasted for only a year in Korea. Since 1999, it has not been revived. Neither business nor labor appears to have any intentions to continue working on interest mediation through the Tripartite Commission. Moreover, it is doubtful that the Tripartite Commission had practically contributed to creating stable industrial relations. …

Institutional competitiveness and institutional aging: the dynamism of East Asian Growth

This study investigates the international dynamism of rapid economic growth in East Asia: Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and China. It finds that underlying East Asian Growth is the competitiveness of the institutional setting that makes up for the insufficiency in normal conditions for economic growth in these countries. More importantly, the institutional setting that generates such competitiveness has a logic of its own. This logic affects the formation and change of the setting and determines under what conditions and to what extent such an institutional setting is effective in each of these countries. The study highlights the systematic and dynamic nature of East Asian Growth. It takes the institutional setting as a central problem in explaining the historical patterns of rapid economic development in East Asia, and builds on rational choice and historical institutionalism for a more effective explanation.

Public Opinion on Dimensions of Governance in East Asia: An Analysis of Citizen and Expert Evaluations

In recent years, institutional financial institutions such as the World Bank have taken a keen interest in the links between governance and economic development in East Asia and in other regions of the world. However, the concept of governance has proven difficult to measure in cross-national studies and its meaning in the minds of citizens and experts may differ noticeably. This article examines elite and mass perceptions of governance using the World Governance Indicators developed by scholars affiliated with the World Bank and survey data derived from the 2006 wave of the AsiaBarometer Survey conducted in seven ‘Confucian’ societies. The results of the analysis capture considerable variation at the country and individual levels for how citizens and experts perceive governance in this region of the world. In addition, a multivariate test uncovered some convergence between citizen and expert assessments but only for some of the various governance components.

Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development in East Asia

Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development in East Asia

Sustainable development and governance in East Asian World Cities

This paper outlines the contextual background for understanding sustainable development and governance issues in Asian world cities. It is argued that sustainability efforts are closely related to the mode of governance in a place. Given the central role of the government in directing growth and development in East Asia, we argue that the sustainability policies, rhetoric and actions in the cities under study are a function of the perception of the concept of sustainable development by the government.

Anthropogenic causes of jellyfish blooms and their direct consequences for humans: a review

Although recent articles state that jellyfish populations are increasing, most available evidence shows that jellyfish abundances fluctuate with climatic cycles. Reports of increasing prob- lems with jellyfish, especially in East Asia, are too recent to exclude decadal climate cycles. Jellyfish are infamous for their direct negative effects on human enterprise; specifically, they interfere with tourism by stinging swimmers, fishing by clogging nets, aquaculture by killing fish in net-pens and power plants by clogging cooling-water intake screens. They also have indirect effects on fisheries by feeding on zooplankton and ichthyoplankton, and, therefore, are predators and potential competitors of fish. Ironically, many human activities may contribute to increases in jellyfish populations in coastal waters. Increased jellyfish and ctenophore populations often are associated with warming caused by climate changes and possibly power plant thermal effluents. Jellyfish may benefit from eutrophication, which can increase small-zooplankton abundance, turbidity and hypoxia, all conditions that may favor jellyfish over fish. Fishing activities can remove predators of jellyfish and zooplanktivorous fish com- petitors as well as cause large-scale ecosystem changes that improve conditions for jellyfish. Aquacul- ture releases millions of jellyfish into Asian coastal waters yearly to enhance the jellyfish fishery. Aquaculture and other marine structures provide favorable habitat for the benthic stages of jellyfish. Changes in the hydrological regime due to dams and other construction can change the salinity to favor jellyfish. Accidental introductions of non-native gelatinous species into disturbed ecosystems have led to blooms with serious consequences. In many coastal areas, most of these environmental changes occur simultaneously. We summarize cases of problem jellyfish blooms and the evidence for anthropogenic habitat disruptions that may have caused them. Rapid development in East Asia makes that region especially vulnerable to escalating problems. We conclude that human effects on coastal environments are certain to increase, and jellyfish blooms may increase as a consequence.

The International Financial Architecture and the Limits to Neoliberal Hegemony

Unlike neoliberalism, [the] new financial architecture recognises the limits of a disembedded global economy. Yet, rather than seeking to rein in the forces of liberalisation by re-embedding intern...

Economic development in East Asia and a critique of the post-Confucian thesis

Some scholars have put forward what they call a post-Confucian thesis to explain East Asia’s successful economic development. The thesis makes two important arguments: first, that Confucianism has enabled East Asian countries to take a different type of capitalism and a different path to modernity than did the West; second, that Confucianism has been the source of those ethics such as activism, hard work, thrift, and the like that have been conducive to economic development in East Asia. This article calls into question the first argument of the thesis by taking the example of the employment systems in Japan and Korea and showing that Confucianism has not been an important factor in defining their central features. In order to evaluate the second argument, this article investigates two major modernization campaigns in Japan and Korea, claiming that those supposedly Confucian virtues can be better seen as the products of the states’ social engineering for modernization and economic development.

Numerical simulation and synoptic analysis of dust emission and transport in East Asia

This study is concerned with the mechanisms of dust storm development in East Asia and the characteristics of the responsible synoptic systems. Two severe East Asian dust storms which occurred in spring 2002 are analyzed using synoptic and remote sensing data. The relationships between the formation and the movement of the dust storms and the evolution of the synoptic systems are examined. It is shown that a dust storm may develop when a synoptic system moves to the desert area of Northeast Asia with a surface wind speed exceeding 6 m s − 1 . Numerical simulations of the two dust storms are carried out using a dust storm forecasting model. The performance of the model is verified with observations. The dust sources are found to be consistent with the desert regions in Northeast Asia, but cover a somewhat larger area than the observations suggest. Finally, we present a conceptual model of dust storm generation and movement in East Asia on the basis of numerical modeling and synoptic analysis.

Japanese subcontracting in mainland China: a study of Toyota and Shanghai Koito

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to better understand Japanese manufacturing in mainland China and clarify how traditional Japanese subcontracting has changed and is changing to fit the economic environment there.Design/methodology/approachThis article looks at the subcontracting practices of the Toyota Group along with the evolution of Shanghai Koito's operations in mainland China. The research for this study was conducted from 1995‐2003 and is based on visits to Toyota's China headquarters in Beijing and its technical center in Tianjin, Shanghai Koito Company, Sichuan Toyota, and Tianjin Toyota.FindingsWhen Japanese style subcontracting in mainland China is compared with that of traditional Japanese subcontracting, a stark contrast is revealed. First of all, it is clear that Japanese‐affiliated enterprises in China are moving away from an insular, vertical subcontracting structure dominated by a single assembler. In the new subcontracting system, characteristic features – such as a broad customer base and localization – contrast with earlier features that included a substantial delegation of authority, regulated interfirm competition, and long‐term relations.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is based on two case studies and so, while its findings may be accurate for the companies in question, helpful for understanding Japan's auto industry in mainland China, and may be more widely applicable, the findings are unlikely to be universally applicable.Practical implicationsWith short‐term guidance corresponding to the needs of localization and the effective use of cheap labor coming to the fore, the examples of Toyota and Shanghai Koito may provide helpful illustrations of the kind of adaptation needed to succeed in mainland China. In particular, by moving away from a reliance on its traditional Japanese customers for sales, Shanghai Koito seems to have positioned itself well to avoid the hardship of dwindling sales that other more traditionally oriented Japanese suppliers have begun to face. Moreover, its growing independence may be an important indicator of what the future may look like for Japanese manufacturing.Originality/valueLooking at the history of industrial development in East Asia, the adaptation of Japanese business practices to different economies in the region has been an important theme. This study provides an up‐to‐date review of a number of current issues facing Japanese automakers as they develop their operations in mainland China.

A Tale of Two Markets: Bond Market Development in East Asia and Latin America

A Tale of Two Markets: Bond Market Development in East Asia and Latin America

Catching-Up Industrial Development of East Asian Economies and Its Application to Vietnam

This paper examines the catching-up process in industrial development in East Asia. For this purpose, RCA curve will be used to depict this process and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient will be employed as a supporting evidence for the catching-up. Evolving specialization patterns of East Asian economies are consistent with the prediction of the Catching-up Product Cycle model. Japan has the most advanced industrial structure, followed by NIEs, and ASEAN. Their specialization patterns evolved from a late-industrializing pattern to an intermediate, and finally to an advanced pattern. The late-industrializing economies followed in the footsteps of early industrializing ones creating a regional interdependence linkage. The paper suggests that the late industrializing economies could accelerate industrialization by following in the footsteps of the early industrializing economies. The paper further finds that Vietnam joined the regional network. However, its trade policy has been impeding industrial development so that labor-intensive production has been untapped, on one hand, and Vietnam selected the 'wrong' industries to target on the other hand.