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[From course syllabus] In the world of business and economics,” according to one set of scholars, “the empirical phenomenon of the decade [of the 1990s] clearly has been the remarkable growth and development of Asian nations into world-class economic powers, particularly the Northeast Asian economies of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan …. These countries have emerged from an array of political and social challenges that include world and civil wars, massive migration, external occupation and colonization, and substantial destruction of their economic capacities to become, in little more than a generation, extraordinarily successful players in the world economy.” To this list, we can add China, which is the fastest growing economy in the world and which is projected to pass the United States as the world's largest economy in the not too distant future. The obvious question is: How did this happen? There are, not surprisingly, dozens of explanations-not all of which are compatible. One objective of this class, therefore, is simply to introduce you to and help you to understand competing accounts of the “East Asian miracle.” Knowing how others have interpreted the rapid rise of East Asia, however, is only a beginning. It is also important for you to develop your own independent capacity to analyze and interpret the process of capitalist development. For questions about the process of East Asian capitalism remain as relevant today as they have ever been. What sorts of policies can most effectively promote growth in developing countries? What is the “best” or most efficacious relationship between governments and markets? Can or must states contribute to capitalist growth and development? What is the “proper” role of free markets at the local, national, regional, and transnational levels? Is economic individualism the only valid basis for building a sustainable and strong economy? Click here to read more (pdf document). Students may also find a list of course books here.
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Finding course information is easy. Just use the links below to go where you want to go. Be advised, however, that some links may not be active and some pages may seem incomplete. For obvious reasons, this is more likely to happen in the beginning of the quarter, but there are times when I will not be able to update my CourseSite on a regular basis.
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