Synopses & Reviews
In the 1980s and 1990s many in the West came to believe in the myth of an East-Asian economic miracle. Japan was going to dominate, then China. Countries were called tigers” or mini-dragons,” and were seen as not just development prodigies, but as a unified bloc, culturally and economically similar, and inexorably on the rise.
Joe Studwell has spent two decades as a reporter in the region, and The Financial Times said he should be named chief myth-buster for Asian business.” In How Asia Works, Studwell distills his extensive research into the economies of nine countriesJapan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Chinainto an accessible, readable narrative that debunks Western misconceptions, shows what really happened in Asia and why, and for once makes clear why some countries have boomed while others have languished.
Studwells in-depth analysis focuses on three main areas: land policy, manufacturing, and finance. Land reform has been essential to the success of Asian economies, giving a kick start to development by utilizing a large workforce and providing capital for growth. With manufacturing, industrial development alone is not sufficient, Studwell argues. Instead, countries need export discipline,” a government that forces companies to compete on the global scale. And in finance, effective regulation is essential for fostering, and sustaining growth. To explore all of these subjects, Studwell journeys far and wide, drawing on fascinating examples from a Philippine sugar barons stifling of reform to the explosive growth at a Korean steel mill.
Thoroughly researched and impressive in scope, How Asia Works is essential reading for anyone interested in the development of these dynamic countries, a region that will shape the future of the world.
Review
Gripping
Readers will find Studwells informative and balanced report eye-opening.”
Publishers WeeklyConsistently engaging.”Brendan Driscoll, Booklist
Studwell paints a vivid picture of business life in the region. If a copy of the Korean edition finds its way across the demilitarized zone to Pyongyang
we may find we have yet another Asian Tiger in our midst.”Management Today
Review
I found the book to be quite compelling. . . . Studwells book does a better job than anything else Ive read of articulating the key role of agriculture in development. . . . A good read for anyone who wants to understand what actually determines whether a developing economy will succeed.”—Bill Gates, Top 5 Books of the Year”
Pithy, well-written and intellectually vigorous . . . Studwells thesis is bold, his arguments persuasive, and his style pugnacious. It adds up to a highly readable and important book.”Financial Times
Provocative.
How Asia Works is a striking and enlightening book
A lively mix of scholarship, reporting and polemic.”The Economist
"Very readable.... A fascinating and thoroughly deep account."Bloomberg Radio
Gripping
Readers will find Studwells informative and balanced report eye-opening.”Publishers Weekly
Consistently engaging.”Booklist
Studwell paints a vivid picture of business life in the region. If a copy of the Korean edition finds its way across the demilitarized zone to Pyongyang
we may find we have yet another Asian Tiger in our midst.”Management Today
A solid blend of the descriptive and the prescriptive, with plenty of lessons that will be of interest to Asia hands, investors and policymakers.”Kirkus Reviews
Perhaps my favorite economics book of the year. Quite simply, it is the best single treatment on what in Asian industrial policy worked or did not work, full of both analysis and specific detail, and covering southeast Asia in addition to the Asian tiger winners.
Definitely recommended, you will learn lots from it, and it will upset people of virtually all ideologies.”Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
An interesting analysis of policy decisions that have and havent worked . . . a handy guide for anyone interested in one of the worlds fastest developing regions.”The Economic Times (India)
Studwells latest book, How Asia Works, is also his most ambitions. . . . Declining to make broad pronouncements or dovetail with doctrine, Studwell demonstrates that the way Asia works isnt quite as simple as we ever imagined.”Smart Planet
"A landmark work."Asia Times (Bangkok)
Bold and insightful. . . . Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the ingredients for economic success.”The News International (Pakistan)
About the Author
Joe Studwell is the founding editor of the China Economic Quarterly. A freelance journalist in Asia for over twenty years, he has also written for the Economist Intelligence Unit, The Economist, The Financial Times, The Asian Wall Street Journal and the The Far Eastern Economic Review. He is the author of The China Dream and Asian Godfathers.