Rethinking the East Asian developmental state in its historical context: finance, geopolitics and bureaucracy. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yeung, Henry Wai-chung
• Is Part Of: Area development and policy. Volume 2:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 23
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Political economy -- developmental state -- finance -- geopolitics -- bureaucratic rationality -- East Asia; 政治经济 -- 发展型国家 -- 金融 -- 地缘政治 -- 官僚理性 -- 东亚; Economía política -- Estado desarrollista -- finanzas -- geopolítica -- racionalidad burocrática -- Asia oriental; Политическая экономия -- государство развития -- финансы -- геополитика -- бюрократическая рациональность -- Восточная Азия; Regional planning -- BRIC countries -- Periodicals; Economic development -- BRIC countries -- Periodicals; Rural-urban relations -- BRIC countries -- Periodicals; Human geography -- BRIC countries -- Periodicals; Regional planning -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Economic development -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Rural-urban relations -- Periodicals; Human geography -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; 338.90091724
• DOI: 10.1080/23792949.2016.1264868
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2379-2949

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper critically revisits the statist literature that stresses the central role of the developmental state in steering economic development in East Asia. Based on a critique of the existing literature on the state's mobilization of financial resources and implementation of industrial policy between the late 1950s and the 1980s, it argues that East Asian industrial transformation must be situated in the peculiar historical contexts of favourable geopolitical imperatives and contested domestic bureaucratic rationality. This rethinking is useful because more developing countries are now following the kind of top-down state governance and interventionist policies pursued previously by these East Asian developmental states. And yet they might not give careful considerations to these important historical specificities underpinning the success or failure of such developmentalist policies.