This book by a leading expert considers the growth of an inefficient superlayer in Southeast Asian economies and assesses the problems that this poses for future economic development. Yoshihara argues that as technological backwardness, the low quality of government intervention, and discrimination against those of Chinese descent have prevented capitalism from stimulating development, there has emerged a brand of ersatz capitalism very different from the capitalism in Japan and the West. He goes on to offer recommendations for creating a dynamic capitalism while acknowledging that obstacles to their implementation exist in current Southeast Asian social and political systems.

This book applies and develops the concept of “ersatz capitalism” in the analysis of industrial policy blockades to economic development in Malaysia and Indonesia. Drawing on insights from international political economy, development studies, industrial and innovation policy, and new institutionalism to refer to a specific type of capitalism, the book analyzes different paths and institutions of economic development within the entire East Asian region. Comprehensive theoretical insights are complemented by empirical case studies that relate to country and sectoral studies – the automotive and ICT industries – in Malaysia and Indonesia. Applying contemporary research on international political economy to refer to a specific type of capitalism, the author examines how conflicts of interest between factions of state apparatus, associations, and companies contribute to the failure of developmental policies. The unique combination of theory formation and empirical analysis provides a novel approach to international comparative research on capitalism. The book will be of interest to researchers in the fields of international political economy, development studies, new institutionalism, East Asian and Southeast Asian studies, and industrial and innovation policy.

The study aims at finding an explanation to the economic development of Southeast Asia. To achieve this end, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines have been chosen as the foci of the study. To explain the region's recent success, the study is guided by the hypothesis that overseas Chinese entrepreneurship, exercised by a group belonging to a discriminated ethnic minority, is an indispensable component of the capitalist development of Southeast Asia. Overseas Chinese businesses dominate nearly all branches of the economy of their respective countries of residence. On a regional scale, they are acknowledged to control two-thirds of the region's retail trade. The hypothesis of the study is validated by the empirical findings. Furthermore, the study has arrived at the conclusion that Southeast Asia is host to a type of entrepreneurship - Overseas Chinese entrepreneurship - that evolved and developed throughout the centuries and proven for its resiliency and risk-taking abilities. It did not create the boom in the region, however. Liberal government policies, the inflow of huge foreign capital, and the availability of cheap and skilled labor among the indigenous population are among the more crucial factors that facilitated this transformation.

Southeast Asia has long been seen as a unity, although other terms have been used to describe it: Further India, Little China, the Nanyang. The region has had a protracted maritime history. Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity are all represented. It has seen a quintet of colonial powers - Britain, France, The Netherlands, Spain, the United States. Most recently, it has become one of the fastest growing parts of the world economy. The very term 'Southeast Asia' is clearly more than a geographical expression. The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia is a multi-authored treatment of the whole of mainland and island Southeast Asia from Burma to Indonesia. Unlike other histories of the region, it is not divided on a country-by-country basis and is not structured purely chronologically, but rather takes a thematic and regional approach to Southeast Asia's history. This volume, the second and final in the series, takes us into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from the late eighteenth century of the Christian era when most of the region was incorporated into European empires to the complexity and dramatic change of the post-World War II period. It covers the economic and social life as well as the religious and popular culture of the region as they develop over two centuries. The political structures of the region are also closely examined, from the insurgencies and rebellions of early this century to the modern Nationalist movements which challenged the control of the colonial powers and led to the formation of independent states. Under the editorship of Nicholas Tarling, Professor of History at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, each chapter is well integrated into the whole. Professor Tarling has assembled a highly respected team of international scholars who have presented the latest historical research on the region and succeeded in producing a provocative and exciting account of the region's history.

New Chinese migration is a recent development that has just entered an initial phase. An overarching theme and conclusion across the sixteen chapters in this volume is that China’s policy towards Chinese migrants has changed from period to period, and it is still too early for us to determine if Beijing will continue to pursue the policy of luoye guigen (return to original roots) or will revert to one of luodi shenggen (sink into local roots). The various chapters also show that the profile, motivations and outlooks of xin yimin (new Chinese migrants) have become more diverse, while local reactions to these new migrants have become less accommodating with increasing nationalism.

This well-researched book examines the dramatic transformation of Southeast Asian countries from agricultural and mining economies to industrial nations. In doing so, it explores the effects of development policy on a number of interdisciplinary issues, and the emergence of new social and political pressures created by industrialization. These include their heightened vulnerability to complex economic crises, their use of sophisticated instruments in the labour process and increased awareness of environmental issues. The distinguished authors present a regional and cross-border focus on transnational actors and institutions, and the policy issues and problems which have a wider impact on spatial configurations in the region. This insightful study will appeal to researchers, academics and policymakers working on the economics and development of Southeast Asia.

This volume provides an introduction to the politics of the five key southeast Asian states - Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines - and is intended as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on this subject. Using a comparative politics and political economy perspective, the author focuses in particular on the degree of democracy in the five countries, arguing that in all the countries considered democracy is, to varying degrees, imperfect. The book synthesises a wide range of scholarship, and presents the material in a concise and accessible way.

This book provides a detailed cross-country study of the automotive industry in South East Asia. Abbott argues that, contrary to prevailing opinion, the diffusion of manufacturing in the Asia-Pacific has been characterized by hierarchical networks of production linked to Japan for technology.

Provides a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the ongoing process of development and societal transformation in a dynamic region of the Third World. Written by a team of specialists from the fields of development studies, sociology and political economy, the book looks at some of the fundamental problems facing South East Asia by addressing the following issues: the social constellations; class, culture and political legitimation; and industrialisation and labour regulation.

Presents empirical findings from different South-East Asian countries to demonstrate that Chinese businessmen employ a variety of strategies in their networking, entrepreneurship and organisational and firm development; and concludes that much more research is needed in order to provide a full understanding of Chinese business success.