The Economic Development of Southeast Asia

This major four-volume collection brings together the key analytical contributions on the economies of Southeast Asia, countries which together have a population of more than 500 million people.

This group of economies is of interest for a number of reasons. Firstly, they feature great diversity - Singapore has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, while several of the mainland Southeast Asian states are among the poorest. Brunei is a tiny oil sultanate, while Indonesia is the world's fourth largest nation. In addition, several of these economies have been consistently among the world's most open, while others are emerging from a long period of international commercial isolation. Thirdly, the group includes one sizeable country, the Philippines, which for reasons still only poorly understood has consistently under-performed compared to its potential. Four of the economies - Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand - grew extremely quickly in the three decades through to the recent Asian economic crisis. Lastly, the Asian economic crisis of 1997-98 particularly affected three of the countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The factors explaining this sudden, and largely unanticipated, event are still only poorly understood.

This comprehensive reference collection is essential reading for all those interested in the economic performance of these economies.