Economic Governance and the Challenge of Flexibility in East Asia

by Deyo, Frederic C.; Doner, Richard F.; Hershberg, Eric

• ISBN13: 9780742509436
• ISBN10: 0742509435
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-03-21
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

This book analyzes the institutional underpinnings of East AsiaOs dynamic growth by exploring the interplay between governance and flexibility. As the challenges of promoting and sustaining economic growth become ever more complex, firms in both advanced and industrializing countries face constant pressures for change from markets and technology. Globalization, heightened competition, and shorter product cycles mean that markets are increasingly volatile and fragmented. To contend with demands for higher quality, quicker delivery, and cost efficiencies, firms must enhance their capability to innovate and diversify. Achieving this flexibility, in turn, often requires new forms of governance_arrangements that facilitate the exchange of resources among diverse yet interdependent economic actors. Moving beyond the literatureOs emphasis on developed economies, this volume emphasizes the relevance of the links between governance and flexibility for understanding East AsiaOs explosive economic growth over the past quarter century. In case studies that encompass a variety of key industrial sectors and countries, the contributors emphasize the importance of network patterns of governance for facilitating flexibility in firms throughout the region. Their analyses illuminate both the strengths and limitations of recent growth strategies and offer insights into prospects for continued expansion in the wake of the East Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Economic Governance and Flexible Production in East Asia	p. 1
Sources of Success in Uncertain Markets: The Taiwanese Footwear Industry	p. 33
Flexibility under Unorganized Industrialism? The Experience of Industrial Restructuring in Hong Kong	p. 55
Governance and Flexibility: The East Asian Garment Industry	p. 79
Dynamic Flexibility and Sectoral Governance in the Thai Auto Industry: The Enclave Problem	p. 107
Catching Up and Postcrisis Industrial Upgrading: Searching for New Sources of Growth in Korea's Electronics Industry	p. 137
Politics, Institutions, and Flexibility: Microelectronics Transnationals and Machine Tool Linkages in Malaysia	p. 165
Flexible Production, High-Tech Commodities, and Public Policies: The Hard Disk Drive Industry in Singapore	p. 191
Conclusion: Network Governance, Flexibility, and Development amid Crisis	p. 217
Index	p. 229
About the Contributors	p. 241
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.