Economies Of East Research Articles

Making Sense of Bolkestein-Bashing: Trade Liberalization Under Segmented Labor Markets

Trade liberalization is often met with sharp opposition. Recent examples include the so-called 'Bolkestein' directive, which allows service providers from a given EU member to temporarily work in another member country. One way to view such a reform is that it simply widens the range of goods that are tradable. This kind of reform is analyzed in a two-country Dornbusch-Fischer-Samuelson style model, where labor cannot relocate to another sector upon a non-expected increase in the range of goods that can be traded. The effect of liberalization on the terms of trade tend to favor the poorer country (the 'East'), if (as assumed) the most sophisticated goods are tradable before reform. Second, under ex-post liberalization, there exists a class of workers in the West who are harmed because they face competition from Eastern workers and cannot relocate to other activities. But if the East's economy is relatively small, their wage losses are not very large. Things are different, however, if there exist asymmetries in labor market institutions, such that upon reform, labor can relocate in the East but not in the West. Some workers in the West can then experience very large wage losses. Thus, rigid labor markets in the West magnify opposition to reform there.

Sustainable housing design and the natural environment

Dr Yilmaz teaches in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design of the University of Hacettepe, Ankara, Turkey,from which she has a Masters degree. She also has a Ph. D from the Department of Urban and Environmental Sciences, University of Ankara. She has presented papers on environmental problems and vernacular architecture at numerous national and international congresses, and published others in various scholarly journals.
 Professor Keleş taught at Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science for many years and served as Dean of the Faculty from 1971 to1975. He was also Head of both the Ernst Reuter Center for Urban Studies and the Center for Environmental Studies at the same university. He currently teaches at the Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus. Dr Keleş has published extensively on Comparative Urbanization, Theories of Local Government, Environmental Policies, and Urban Politics. His major publications include The Politics of Urbanization: Government and Growth in Modern Turkey (with Michael N. Danielson, New York, Holmes and Meier, 1985)-, The Urban Poverty in the Third World, Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, 1988; and Housing in the Middle East (with Hiromaso Kano), Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, 1986. Dr Keles is a member of the World Society for Ekistics. The text that follows is an edited version of a paper presented at the international symposion on 'The Natural City, " Toronto, 23-25 June, 2004, sponsored by the University of Toronto's Division of the Environtmental Studies, and the World Society for Ekistics.

Sustainable housing design and the natural environment

Dr Yilmaz teaches in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design of the University of Hacettepe, Ankara, Turkey,from which she has a Masters degree. She also has a Ph. D from the Department of Urban and Environmental Sciences, University of Ankara. She has presented papers on environmental problems and vernacular architecture at numerous national and international congresses, and published others in various scholarly journals. Professor Keles taught at Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science for many years and served as Dean of the Faculty from 1971 to1975. He was also Head of both the Ernst Reuter Center for Urban Studies and the Center for Environmental Studies at the same university. He currently teaches at the Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus. Dr Keles has published extensively on Comparative Urbanization, Theories of Local Government, Environmental Policies, and Urban Politics. His major publications include The Politics of Urbanization: Government and Growth in Modern Turkey (with Michael N. Danielson, New York, Holmes and Meier, 1985)-, The Urban Poverty in the Third World, Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, 1988; and Housing in the Middle East (with Hiromaso Kano), Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, 1986. Dr Keles is a member of the World Society for Ekistics. The text that follows is an edited version of a paper presented at the international symposion on 'The Natural City, Toronto, 23-25 June, 2004, sponsored by the University of Toronto's Division of the Environtmental Studies, and the World Society for Ekistics.

The Soviet Far East as a strategic outpost and the regional authorities' nationality policy: the Korean question, 1920-1929

This article analyses the centre-periphery divergence over the Korean question in the Russian Far East, taking into account material from both Russian central and regional archives. The relative permeability of the frontiers in the Far East practically up to the 1950s and the heavy dependence of the Russian/Soviet Far East's economy on Manchurian commodity streams at least until the beginning of the 1930s gave this region a 'double periphery' character. After the act of judicial 'Sovietization' of the Russian Far East, the Bolsheviks initially tested a model wherein the 'political substance' of Bolshevism was developed on the old market economic framework, which had been adapted to the needs of the new regime mainly through reform measures and not with revolutionary sweep. However, the export-import orientation of the Dal'krai regional economy, which resulted from the region's economic separation from European Russia and its dependence on Manchurian and Pacific commodity markets, was not initially understood by its practitioners in Dal'krai as a retreat from Bolshevik doctrine, but rather as a variant of socialist economic principles applied to special conditions. The constant threat of political annexation and economic subordination by Japan, along with active Japanese and Chinese 'colonial engineering' on the frontier territories, forced the regional authorities to be guided to a considerable extent by foreign policy considerations in their search for solutions to internal issues. In this context, the Bolsheviks manifested appreciable 'central-regional' diversity towards the 'Korean question'. The analysis of the dynamics of this diversity from 1920 to 1929 supports the theoretical considerations of Terry Martin ('Peidmont principle') and Nick Baron (European 'governmentality') on the material of the Russian Far East.

The periphery in the center: Some political features of Turkish urbanization

The author taught at Ankara University; Faculty of Political Science for many years and served as Dean of the Faculty during 1971- 1975. He was also the Head of both the Ernst Reuter Center for Urban Studies and the Center for Environmental Studies in the same university. He is currently teaching at the Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus. Dr Keleę has published extensively on Comparative Urbanization, Theories of Local Government, Environmental Policies, and Urban Politics. His major publications include The Politics of Urbanization: Government and Growth in Modern Turkey (with Michael N. Danielson, New York, Holmes and Meier, 1985); The Urban Poverty in the Third World, Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, 1988; and Housing in the Middle East (with Hiromaso Kano), Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, 1986.

New Economy and New Social Policy in East and Southeast Asian Compact, Mature Economies: The Case of Hong Kong

Abstract In the 1970s, as the now compact, mature economies in East and Southeast Asia were industrializing, their governments had claimed that they saw no need for the kind of welfare programmes developed in Western “welfare states”. Notwithstanding this claim, a study of social welfare development in these economies in the last three decades, particularly when Hong Kong is taken as an example, shows that they have gone for universal social welfare, largely as a result of the growing prosperity and the rising expectations of the people. This trend has, however, been reversed since the start of the Asian financial crisis in the latter part of 1997, with the resultant slowing down of the economy, rising unemployment and surging fiscal deficits. Governments of the compact, mature economies in East and Southeast Asia found that they must rethink their social commitments and in order to return to balanced budgets, the former selective approach is now adopted by concentrating social welfare resources on the most needy people. While it is not in dispute that there is a close and positive relationship between industrialization and social welfare, the case of the compact, mature economies in East and Southeast Asia shows that as they are more vulnerable to world economic vicissitudes, the relationship may not be as steady as it has been in the Western industrial states.

Territorial Inequality, Regional Productivity, and Industrial Change in Postcommunism: Regional Transformations in Slovakia

In this paper the author examines the development and causes of territorial inequalities in the postcommunist economies of East–Central Europe (ECE), with a specific focus on the Slovak Republic (Slovakia). He begins by examining the extent of regional economic differentiation in ECE, within the context of the European Union (EU) enlargement process, and argues that an EU of twenty-five or twenty-seven states will face enormous territorial inequality. Through a specific examination of the experience of Slovakia he then goes on to examine some of the determinants and trajectories of these territorial inequalities. Specifically, he focuses on the contribution of relative regional industrial productivity trends in the second half of the 1990s to the endurance of territorial disparities. A decomposition of regional productivity and employment across industrial sectors is provided to examine some of the reasons for the comparative performance of Slovakia's regional economies. Attention is paid to the role of key strategic inward investment projects in the upgrading of particular regional industrial sectors. In contrast, other forms of global integration through, for example, outward processing of clothing for the EU market have, in other regions, been unable to stimulate a positive upgrading of regional productivity. Indeed, it is argued that the challenge for transitional economies such as Slovakia in the early part of the 21st century is how to manage the process of increasing, yet geographically uneven, global and European economic integration at the same time as ensuring that territorial and social inequalities are reduced.

ASEAN–China Free Trade Area: Advantages, Challenges, and Implications for the Newer ASEAN Member Countries

China's accession to the World Trade Organization and the proposed ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement will provide greater market access in resource- and agro-based products and some manufactured goods for the countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam). At the same time, there will be much greater competition from China in both ASEAN-4's home and third-country markets, especially in a wide range of labour- and technology-intensive manufactures. Special and differential (S&D) treatment and flexibility for the will be necessary to enable a more effective participation by the newer members in the proposed ASEAN-China FTA. In this connection, two proposals are made for enhancing domestic entrepreneurship and inter-firm networking, and for monitoring and benchmarking supply capabilities and competitiveness at the enterprise level within ASEAN and China. most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway Henry Boye Judge a tree from its fruit, and not from its leaves. Euripedes I. Introduction Globalization has provided a dynamic platform on which to sustain high and durable rates of economic growth, structural transformation, and social development for many developing countries. In particular, it has opened up unlimited opportunities for gainful co-operation and integration in trade, investment, and services among countries and communities, including China and most ASEAN members. In this context, the leaders of ASEAN and China decided in Singapore during November 2000 to explore measures to widen and deepen the process of mutual economic co-operation and integration. A year later in Brunei, they endorsed a proposal to set up an ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (FTA) within ten years, and negotiations on trade liberalization for products under the early harvest programme were then initiated. Subsequently, a Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Co-operation (FACEC) between ASEAN and China was signed in Cambodia, in November 2002. The agreement provides for, among other things, the completion of negotiations on trade in goods by mid-2004. It also envisages the operation of a FTA between China and the six older member countries (or ASEAN-6) from 2010. FTA arrangements between China and the ASEAN-4 (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam) will be in force from 2015. The Framework Agreement is likely to become another milestone in the unfolding process of multi-faceted growth and integration in trade in goods and services and investment among the developing economies of East and Southeast Asia. Section II of this article discusses the current patterns of trade and investment relationships between China and the countries. Section III then considers the potential and opportunities on the demand side, including additional market access in China for resourcebased products and intra-industry activities, which can be expected from the proposed ASEAN-China FTA. Section IV examines the supply-side impact on the ASEAN-4, as a result of China's proven competitive strength, recent World Trade Organization (WTO) membership, and proposed free trade arrangements with ASEAN. Due emphasis is given to the additional competition to be managed by the ASEAN-4, in both home and third-country markets, particularly on a wide range of labour- and technology-intensive manufactures. The nature and justification for special and differential (S&D) treatment and flexibility for the low-income and least developed countries of ASEAN are dealt with in Section V, with special reference to the non-WTO members within the ASEAN-4, in the context of the proposed ASEAN-China FTA. The promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises' (SME) competitiveness and capacity-building are among the focal areas of economic co-operation within the Framework Agreement. In this context, Section VI contains two actionable proposals for capacity-building in entrepreneurship development and inter-firm networking within and across borders, and for monitoring and benchmarking enterprise capabilities and competitiveness in ASEAN and China. …

TECHNOLOGY POLICIES IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA: CREATING A NEW GLOBAL STRUCTURE IN THE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

This paper shows that a deliberate policy, in the process from labour-intensive to more knowledge-intensive sectors, among developing and newly industrializing economies in East and Southeast Asia, has created a large number of subcontracting links within in the international aircraft manufacturing industry. A main reason for this development is the tool of offset, which shows that this “benefit” technique has been formalised in aircraft procurement program as part of an acquisition process. The most successful examples are China (P.R.C) and South Korea. The study also shows that up to 1995 there have been no intra-regional subcontracting links within airframe manufacturing. The future success of these technology transfer links, at the destination level, is determined among other things, by the strategy of the sourcing company as well as the installation of technology of the receiving company.

TRIPs and Industrial Technology Development in East and South Asia

The introduction of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has opened again the debate on the importance of regulation for economic efficiency and welfare across a diverse spectrum of economies. Using the free trade-state intervention debate as the theoretical anchor, this article examines the impact of the agreement on technology capability building in East and South Asian economies. Given that both free trade and interventionist privately governed intellectual property rights face a range of problems and that the selective application of theoretical strengths to policy is difficult, it is difficult to extract clear-cut conclusions. The article makes the point that Japan and, to a less extent, the Asian NIEs are well positioned to enforce compliance and sustain technological development. China among the second-tier NIEs enjoys the best high tech and IPR infrastructure to make the transition to NIE status. The remaining second-tier NIEs lack the high tech infrastructure to sustain strong technological development activities, though their IPR infrastructure is sufficiently developed to enforce compliance. India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka demonstrate selected technological capabilities, but their overall infrastructure is too weak to engender broad-based technology development, and ensure compliance. Brunei and Macao can comply with the TRIPs obligations. The remaining economies neither have sufficient capabilities to participate strongly in technology development nor the IPR infrastructure to enforce compliance. While the TRIPs process might offer room for consensus building, it is unlikely that the poorer economies will enjoy a fair representation given the power asymmetry between members.

Introductory Overview: Rethinking the East Asian Development Model

Introductory Overview Most of the economies in East and Southeast Asia have witnessed rapid economic growth over the last three decades. The economic progress witnessed in these economies, and their steep industrial development trajectories, have been both impressive and unparalleled. Indeed, the region has been at the forefront of the transformation of the so-called Third World countries to emerging markets, as evidenced by fairly avid investor appetite for exposure to East Asian business assets. At least, that was the case until the mid-1990s, the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and the regional economic downturn that immediately followed. It is said that pride comes before a fall, and perhaps East Asia had become a little too blase about its seemingly effortless ability to consistently register impressive gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates, almost year after year. In this regard, the Asian financial crisis was a wake-up call for the region. Some of the policy assumptions that the East Asian economies had started to take for granted are now being reevaluated, including the sorts of economic policies and implementation strategies that had apparently served so well in recent decades. Quite understandably, in the years immediately after the regional financial crisis of 1997-98, attention was primarily focused on getting East Asia's economies back on their feet. But as time has passed, and the recovery process shows (mixed) signs of nearing completion, there is an increasing awareness that the region's economies must now see how they can advance. The fallout from the Asian financial crisis has not been the only trigger for such an economic reevaluation process in East Asia. Other related changes in the external environment have also prompted policy-makers, academics, and business people to reconsider some past assumptions. The ongoing rise of China as an economic and industrial behemoth has caused some East Asian countries to reconsider their industrial development policies, as China begins to absorb an increasingly large proportion of East Asia's aggregate foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. Should China's economic growth continue, the vast scale and broad diversity of China's continental-sized economy will oblige other East Asian countries to wholly rethink their relative positions in the food chain. Or, as one commentator cogently put it: what will the rest of East Asia do for a living now that virtually everything can be made more cheaply in China ?1 Able to competitively produce a range of goods that span the entire value chain, China poses an immense competitive challenge for many East Asian countries, at least in the short to medium term. Morgan Stanley recently posited that: China's rise as the world's factory ... fundamentally threatens Southeast Asia's ability to sustain foreign direct investment and manufacturing activity. In our view, [the Malaysian, Thai, Indonesian and Philippine] economies must either dismantle or reinvent their pro-investment, export, mass manufacturing model, as the East Asian Economic Model (EAEM) platform will no longer be viable for Southeast Asia.2 In another commentary the same author went on to assert that unless a different development strategy to the East Asian Development Model (EADM) is found and executed ... Southeast Asia is destined to face a dramatic economic decline over the next ten years.3 International business activities are also mutating, with the adoption of increasingly more complex and varied international production networks becoming common practice for multinational enterprises. A large proportion of global trade is now conducted between enterprises operating within the same transnational company. Foreign investment patterns are also changing, with merger and acquisition (M&A) activity now the principal driver of global FDI flows. The pace of plain vanilla greenfield foreign investment activity - which Southeast Asia is most familiar with - has become much less vigorous, as global overcapacity in a range of products has meant that companies are extremely reluctant to bring new capacity on-stream in the current economic environment. …

The lack of European Direct Investment in the Arab Countries - Recent Tendencies and a Technology-Related Explanation

This article deals with foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to the Arab world. The first part compares absolute and relative figures on European FDI activities in the Arab economies with figures on EU investment flows to other parts of the world such as the non-Arab economies of Africa, Central and South America, the developing economies of Asia as well as the Central and Eastern European Countries in transition (CEEC). Furthermore, it compares EU FDI figures for the Arab world with the respective figures on the investment activities of EU countries in other economies of the Middle East. In the second part, it is argued that it is not only the quantity of FDI which affects the development prospects of the receiving economies. The quality of FDI - i.e. the areas of economic activities in which the investments are made, the technological level of the investment projects as well as their contribution to the strengthening of the receiving economies' international competitiveness - is at least as important. In addition, it must be taken into account that the state of the (potential) receiving economy's technological development in the broadest sense is a crucial determinant of the kind of FDI inflows as well as of the extent to which foreign investors' capital is attracted. Therefore, this article presents a technology-oriented approach in order to explain why Arab countries are still failing to attract considerable FDI that could more substantially contribute to the development of the national economies.

R&D activities and firms' characteristics: some evidence from North East England

This study considers the impact of labour and product market characteristics on Research and Development (R&D) activity in the North East. This study extends the literature on regional R&D by focusing on potential strategic relationships between relative firm size, market structure and crucial labour market features. Primary data was collected from 620 North East firms to establish the characteristics of firms with respect to R&D, marketing activities (and by extension – product differentiation), labour markets and the likely impact of minimum wage legislation. The paper analyses the findings from a sample survey which yield typical profiling characteristics of small–medium enterprises (SME's) and large firms in the region. The findings cast new light on the debate surrounding firm size, market structure and R&D activity. A Probit analysis is utilised to establish the probability of a firm conducting R&D given the characteristics of large, medium and small firms. Generally, the evidence produced by the Probit study supports the Schumpeter–Galbraith thesis that relatively large firms with market power experience environmental success conclusive to R&D. The implications of the Probit study denote potential structural weaknesses in the North East economy in–so–far as few firms undertake any R&D at all. When R&D is undertaken, it is typically by large producers with market power experiencing benign labour markets.

Women and Informality: A Global Picture, the Global Movement

Over the past two decades, employment in the informal sector has risen rapidly in all regions in the world. Until the recent Asian economic crisis, it was only the rapidly-growing economies of East and Southeast Asia that experienced substantial growth of modern sector employment. However, in the wake of that crisis, most of these countries have experienced a decline in formal wage employment and a concomitant rise in informal employment. Even before the crisis, official statistics indicated that the informal sector accounted for nearly half of total non-agricultural employment in East Asia, over half in Latin America and the Caribbean, and as much as 80 percent in other parts of Asia and in Africa. 1 In terms of urban employment, the informal sector accounted for well over half in Africa and Asia and a quarter in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Political Economy of the Middle East. Volume III: Islamic Economics Edited by Tim Niblock and Rodney Wilson. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 1999. Pp. 505. Price HB 115.00. 1-85898-937-X.

Journal Article The Political Economy of the Middle East. Volume III: Islamic Economics Edited by Tim Niblock and Rodney Wilson. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 1999. Pp. 505. Price HB £115.00. 1–85898–937–X. Get access Mohamed Aslam Haneef Mohamed Aslam Haneef International Islamic University Malaysia Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Islamic Studies, Volume 12, Issue 1, January 2001, Pages 119–122, https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/12.1.119 Published: 01 January 2001

Economic and political impediments to Middle East peace: critical questions and alternative scenarios

List of Tables List of Illustrations Acknowledgements List of Acronyms Notes on the Contributors Foreword Queen Noor of Jordan Introduction: Economic Impediments to Middle East Peace J.W.Wright, Jr Implementing Netanyahu's Political and Economic Programme: What are Israel's Strategic Objectives for the Current Historical Phase? L.Drake What are the Prospects for Modernising the Middle East Economies? M.Field The Arab-Israeli Process: Can the Region Benefit from the Economics of Globalisation? E.C.Murphy Is MENA a Region? The Scope for Regional Integration M.A.El-Erian & S.Fischer Will an Arab-Israeli Peace Bring a Trade Divided? E.H.Tuma The Budgetary Consequences of Middle East Peace: What are the Economic Impacts and Causal Linkages? R.E.Looney Would Islamic Banks Help Lessen the Decline of Palestinian Banking? J.W.Wright, Jr Will the Arab-Israeli Peace Process Generate Increased Portfolio Investment in the Middle East? R.Wilson The Middle East Peace Process: How is it Affecting Planning in the Cities and Regions of Jordan? P.L.Doan External Assistance to the Palestinian Economy: What Went Wrong? B.Balaj, I.Diwan & B.Philippe The (very) Political Economy of the West Bank and Gaza: What Lessons Should We Learn About Peace-building and Development Assistance? R.Brynen Civil Society Organisations in the Middle East: Can They Facilitate Socio-economic Development During a Time of Transition? P.Gubser From Front State to Backyard? Syria and the Risks of Regional Peace V.Perthes Epilogue W.Stoltzfus Bibliography Index

Comparative Political Economy of East and South Asia: A Critique of Development Policy and Management. By R. C. Mascarenhas. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. ix, 220 pp. $75.00 (cloth).

Comparative Political Economy of East and South Asia: A Critique of Development Policy and Management. By R. C. Mascarenhas. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. ix, 220 pp. $75.00 (cloth). - Volume 59 Issue 1

Does Law Matter for Economic Development? Evidence From East Asia

Katharina Pistor and Philip A. Wellons, The Role of and Legal Institutions in Asian Economic Development, 1960-1995. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Pp. xi + 294 pages. $39.95 cloth. Kanishka jayasuriya, ed., Law, Capitalism, and Power in Asia: The Rule of and Legal Institutions. New York: Routledge, 1999. Pp. xiii + 345 pages. $99.99 cloth; $32.99 paper. Robert S. Brown and Alan Gutterman, Asian Economic and Legal Development. Uncertainty, Risk, and Legal Efficiency. Boston: Kluwer International, 1998. Pp. xv + 477 pages. $148.00 cloth. The relationship between law and economic development has been a central concern of modern social theory, providing a focal point for the analyses of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. In the 1970s, law and society scholars drew on these traditions to inform international development policy in what was then called the Law and Development Movement. These scholars, who focused primarily on Latin America and who were informed by an activist vision of law as a tool for social change, sought to export U.S. models of law and legal education, suggesting the possibility of a theoretically informed development policy focused on law (Tamanaha 1995). The and Development Movement ultimately fizzled (Gardner 1980; Trubek and Galanter 1974), and with it went the budgets for legal policy reform in developing countries. Donors turned their attention elsewhere. However, new theoretical developments, as well as the lingering importance of the underlying questions, have given momentum to a new wave of law and development activities on a far larger scale than ever before (deLisle 1999). Today, the relationship of law and economic development is again at the very forefront of development policymaking, as government agencies, international organizations, and the non-profit sector advocate the need for strengthening the rule of law in developing countries. Although it is probably a mischaracterization to assert that the new activity is institutionally and intellectually cohesive enough to form a movement, it is clear that legal institutions occupy a central place in development assistance again (deLisle 1999:212-15). The resurgence of law and development corresponds with renewed interest in the rapid postwar growth of economies in East and Southeast Asia. By most accounts, law has not played a major role in Asian economic growth. Scholars have placed more emphasis on particular policies, institutions, and cultural underpinnings rather than on law per se (Upham 1994). For example, in its monumental study, The East Asian Miracle, the World Bank (1993) does not discuss the legal system. Preliminary evidence from Chinese economic reforms indicates that, for the most part, increased reliance on legal ordering has not displaced a system of economic organization based on connections, or guanxi (Lubman 1996; Jones 1994). Having drawn on evidence from Asia, some have claimed that the rule of law is dispensable in the pursuit of economic growth (see Davis 1998:304). There is clearly a tension between the centrality of law in theories of development and existing evidence from Asia. There are at least two possible resolutions of this tension, one empirical and the other theoretical. One possibility is that existing evidence is insufficient and that a more detailed study of Asian legal institutions would elucidate their central importance in Asian growth. The other possibility is that theoretical assumptions of donors and scholars about the universal importance of legal institutions are mistaken and that there is a need to adjust conceptual frameworks accordingly. At the broadest level, then, the questions of whether and how law matters for economic growth in Asia are of great importance for both theory and practice. Three recent studies address these questions in different ways. Together, they expand the empirical base for the study of Asian economic law and suggest new directions for policymakers concerned with the role of law in development. …

Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth: The Asian Experience

The Asian experience of poverty reduction has varied widely. Over recent decades the economies of East and Southeast Asia have achieved large reductions in absolute poverty incidence, but in South Asia the achievement has generally been less impressive. This paper examines the relationship between these outcomes and the rate of economic growth, both in aggregate and in the agricultural, industrial, and services sectors. It uses available data on the headcount measure of poverty incidence in India; Indonesia; Malaysia; Philippines; Thailand; and Taipei, China over the period from the 1960s to the 1990s, in aggregate and in both rural and urban areas. It then uses this data set to analyze the economic determinants of changes in poverty incidence and attempts to explain the differences in the country outcomes that are obtained. The evidence supports the view that the overall rate of economic growth is much more important than its sectoral composition.

The Machine as Mythology

The Machine as Mythology