Catch-Up Industrialization

Book excerpt: "Catch-Up Industrialization offers an innovative examination of the economies of East Asia from the 1960s into the first decade of the 21st century. The book examines the way the political ideology of "developmentalism" has driven economic growth, the significance of innovative production and management techniques, the patterns of industrial relations characteristic of late-developing economies, and the way education shapes the workforce. It concludes with an assessment of East Asian economic development following the end of the Cold War and the East Asian currency crisis of 1997, which is based on economic liberalization and the rapid diffusion of information technology." "The term "catch-up" has rich implications. While it links developing and developed countries, it also defines the socioeconomic mindset common to high-growth societies of Asia. The author's argument differs from neoclassical approaches emphasizing the workings of the market, statist ones emphasizing policy rather than private initiatives, business studies lacking macroeconomic and global perspectives, work by development economists based on agriculture, and World Bank/IMF studies that lack socio-cultural and historical understanding." "The book contributes to a wide range of academic fields, all clearly linked to the central theme of how economies "catch-up": economic and business history, contemporary Asian studies, international relations, development economics, and the socio-economic origins of entrepreneurship."--BOOK JACKET.