BookReviewZhiqunZhuUnderstandingEastAsia’sEconomicMiraclesAnnArborAssociationforAsianStudies,2009.docx

《BookReviewZhiqunZhuUnderstandingEastAsia’sEconomicMiraclesAnnArborAssociationforAsianStudies,2009.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《BookReviewZhiqunZhuUnderstandingEastAsia’sEconomicMiraclesAnnArborAssociationforAsianStudies,2009.docx（3页珍藏版）》请在第一文库网上搜索。

1、ZhiqunZhu.UnderstandingEastAsiafsEconomiciiMirac1esffAnnArbor:AssociationforAsianStudies,2009.Fo11owingJapan,seconomictake-offinthe1960s,EastAsiahasbecomethemostvibrantregioninthewor1dtoday.Onebyone,Japan,SouthKorea,Taiwan,Singapore,andHongKonghaveimpressedthewor1dwithphenomena1economicgrowth.Thedev

2、e1opmentofthisregionwithinthere1ative1yshortspanofthesixdecadesafterWor1dWarIIisunpara11e1edinhumanhistory,“asZhiqunZhuputsit(p.1).Transnationa1capita1f1owshavefue1edtheacce1eratingmarkctizationandg1oba1izationoftheseEastAsianeconomies.Mostrecent1y,thePeop1e,sRepub1icofChina,aformersocia1istcountry,

3、appearstohavemorphedintoaPeop1e,sRepub1icofCapita1ism“withChinesecharacteristics.Sincethe4tRcfbrmandOpeningUpM(gaigekaifang)1aunchedbyDcngXiaopingin1978,Chinahaswitnessedrapideconomic1ibera1ization.Threedecadesofexponentia1economicgrowthhavemadeChinathewor1d,ssecond1argesteconomy,withitsgrossdomesti

4、cproduct(GDP)surpassingJapan,sin2009.China,sseeming1yovernightchangehasdrawnthewor1d,sattentionandcausedasortof44Chinafevef,onAmericancampuses.HavingtaughtanintroductorycoursetocontemporaryChinawithina1argercontextoftransnationa1capita1andcu1tura1f1owsinEastAsia,Ihavefoundthatitisratherdifficu1ttose

5、1ecta1eve1-appropriatetextbookforfreshmenorsophomoreswith1itt1eornopreviousknow1edgeaboutChinaorEastAsiaingenera1.Inrecentyears,aseriesofscho1ar1yworkshaveana1yzedtheeconomic,po1itica1,andcu1tura1transformationsthatradica1markctizationandg1oba1izationhaveengenderedincontemporaryEastAsiansocieties.Ho

6、wever,thesebookstendtobethick,cost1y,andhigh1ytheoretica1,and,assuch,arecomp1ete1ybeyondthestudentswhositinentry-1eve1courses,withoutanytraininginthefie1dofEastAsianstudies.Furthcnnore,oftenmissingfromthesescho1ar1yworksisacomparativeperspective.Inthem,notmuche1aborationcanbefoundontransnationa1inte

7、raction,competition,integration,orcontestation,eachofwhichconstitutesanimportantpartofEastAsia,sregiona1economicactivitiesandeverydaysocia11ife.There1easeofUnderstandingEastAsia,sEconomictiMirac1esfi11sthesecurricu1argaps.Itisthefirstbook1etintheAssociationforAsianStudies,newseries,ttKeyIssuesinAsia

8、nStUdieSjwhichaimstocreateacademicsourcesthattserveasvita1educationa1materia1sthatarcbothaccessib1eandaffordab1eforc1assroomuse.,Thisbook1etprovidesacomprehensiveana1ysisofEastAsiaseconomic“mirac1es.”(Zhuputs“mirac1e“inquotationmarksbecausethewordseemstoimp1ysupernatura1poweranddivineintervention,wh

9、ich,Zhube1ieves,doesnotsufficient1ycreditthenationsthemse1vesforthero1etheyhavep1ayedintheirowneconomicdeve1opment.)SeekingtoexaminethetransformationstheEastAsiannationshaveundergone,heoffersacomparative1ensthroughwhichvariouscu1tura1,historica1,andpo1itica1aspectsofEastAsiancountries,deve1opmentcan

10、becompared,contrasted,andbetterunderstood.Fo11owingabriefintroduction,thebook1etcanbedividedintorough1yintotwoparts.Thefirstpartfo11owschrono1ogica1ordertodrawapictureofeachEastAsiancountry,seconomictake-offandmaturation.ChapterTwotracesthetrajectoryofJapanrisingfromtheashesofWor1dWarIIandexaminesva

11、riousinternationa1anddomesticfactorsthathavep1ayedsignificantro1esinJapan,spost-wareconomicperformance.Zhuparticu1ar1yhigh1ightsthetermdeve1opmenta1state,“whichrefrstoamode1of4state-1edmacroeconomicp1anninginpostWor1dWarIIEastAsia”(p.12).Confinningthepositiveimpactofthedeve1opmenta1state”Journa1ofIn

12、ternationa1andG1oba1Studiesmode1onJapanseconomy,Zhua1sopointsouttheprob1emsandcha11engesthatthismode1mighthavebroughtaboutinthetwenty-firstcentury.ChapterThreediscussesSouthKoreasremarkab1egrowthfromformerco1ony(1910-1945)oftheJapaneseEmpiretocurrenteconomicpower.Fromthe1960stothe1980s,SouthKoreasaw

13、rapideconomicdeve1opment,aswe11aspo1itica1democratization.Whatisparticu1ar1yusefu1forc1assroomreferenceisachartthatc1ear1y1iststhesimi1aritiesanddifferencesbetweenJapaneseKeiretsuandKoreanChaebo1.Bothtermsrefertoformsof4fcbusinesscong1omerates“thathavep1ayedcritica1ro1esintheeconomicdeve1opmentofJap

14、anandSouthKorea,respective1y.ChapterFourputsTaiwanandChinatogetherforcomparisonandcontrast,surprising1y1eavingHongKongoutofthebigpicture.ZhufirststudieshowTaiwan,withAmerica,sgenerousfinancia1andmi1itaryassistance,startedawiderangeofeconomicreforms.Inthe1960s,Taiwanwasusheredintoits“industria1era,“a

15、periodduringwhichitstartedtodemonstraterapideconomicgrowthanddeve1opasoundstatewe1faresystem.In1987,PresidentChiangChing-kuo,Genera1issimoChiangKai-shek,sson,1iftedthemartia11awimposedbyhisfather,markingthestartingpointofTaiwan,sdemocratization.InsharpcontrastwithTaiwan,theeconomicrefbn1aunchedbyChi

16、na,sDcngXiaopingin1978prope11edChinaintoaneweraofcapita1ismwithChinesecharacteristics.Ontheonehand,Chinasharesasimi1ardeve1opmenta1mode1withotherEastAsianeconomies:apathtowardstatecapita1ism.Ontheotherhand,however,thepo1itica1systemofChinahasremained1arge1yuntouched.Ratherthanfo11owthetshocktherapyapproachadoptedbytheformerSovietUnionwhenitmadeanabruptswitchtocapita1ism,theDengregimetookanincrementa1,step-by-stepapproachtothetransformationofChina,seco