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The article presents information about the book "Industrial Transformation in Eastern Europe in the Light of the East Asian Experience." The book contains nine papers that explore the aspects of development and transformation in East Asia and Eastern Europe and investigates the relevance of East Asian economic experiences for Eastern Europe. The papers discuss social and political dimensions of economic transformation in Eastern Europe and Pacific Asia; the extent to which the gap between East Asian and Central and Eastern European countries' economic performance can be explained by the role of the state in the process of industrial transformation; privatization and the state in Russia, Eastern Europe and East Asia; China and the former Soviet Union on the eve of reform; institutional change and economic development in East-Central Europe and China, in light of the "East Asian model".

The article presents information about the book "Toward the Rural-Based Development of Commerce and Industry: Selected Experiences from East Asia." The book contains ten papers that investigate the production trade contracts now being tried at the grassroots level in Japan and East Asia in support of rural-based industrialization. The papers examine technical and institutional innovations in rice marketing in Japan; rural entrepreneurs in the cotton-weaving industry of Japan; the formation of Toyota's relationship with suppliers; export-oriented garment industries in the rural Philippines; the rural garment and weaving industries in Northern Thailand; township-village enterprises in the garment sector of China.

The article presents information about the book "Development Strategies in East Asia and Latin America." The book contains twelve papers, originally presented at an international conference at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, in November 1994, that provide a comparative analysis of the still unfolding development experiences of East Asia and Latin America. The papers discuss the roles of the state and market in the development process, with special reference to the "East Asian miracle"; economic growth and equity;structural adjustment in East Asia and Latin America; the Brazilian economic development experience; two decades of economic policy in Chile; future economic policy challenges in Chile; structural adjustment and economic growth in Mexico; economic reform and government-business relations in Korea.

The article provides information on the book "Learning From the Asian Tigers: Studies in Technology and Industrial Policy," by Sanjaya Lall. The book consists eight papers, which discuss theoretical issues of technology and industrial policy, review the actual policies adopted, and analyze the successes and failures using a "technological capability" approach. Papers included in the book focuses on paradigms of development and the East Asian debate on industrial policy; understanding technology development; lessons from Asia concerning technology development policies; a critique of the World Bank's East Asian Miracle study and its analysis of industrial policy; the analytical underpinnings of structural adjustment and the claim that structural adjustment is benefiting industrial development in Africa; industrial success and the role of government in Malaysia; a qualitative analysis of technological capabilities in Ghana.

The article presents information on the 1997 issue of the periodical "Japan Studies Review." The issue contains eight papers that discuss Japan's supra-ministerial political institutions, the premiership and cabinet; career concerns and reforms in Japan's lower house electoral system; the negotiating style of the Japanese and America's future in East Asia.

The authors' earlier work on financial crises suggested that economies behave differently on the eve of crises (see Kaminsky and Reinhart, 1996). Typically, financial crises occur as an economy enters a recession that follows a prolonged boom in economic activity fueled by credit creation and surges in capital inflows. The cycle of overlending is exacerbated by implicit or explicit deposit guarantees, poor supervision, and moral-hazard problems in the banking sector. Crises are accompanied by an overvaluation of the currency, weakening exports, and the bursting of asset price bubbles. In this paper, the authors extend that work by analyzing the extent to which past crises share common characteristics in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In addition, the authors examine the recent crises in Asia and in Latin America to determine whether the considerable regional differences that they find for the earlier sample have eroded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the book "East Asia by the Year 2000 and Beyond: Shaping Factors: A Study for the European Commission," edited by Wolfgang Pape. It discusses the impact of general sociopolitical characteristics on national economic development and assesses the cultural base in East Asia. It also considers the future of the Korea, addressing themes of possible unification, nuclear brinkmanship, globalization and domestic structural challenges and also examine the major factors shaping China and its relations with Greater China.

The article presents information about the book "The Institutional Foundations of East Asian Economic Development: Proceedings of the lEA Conference Held In Tokyo, Japan," edited by Yujiro Hayami and Masahiko Aoki. Sixteen papers in the book is from a conference held in Tokyo in December 1996 to explore the institutional conditions framing East Asian economic development. Papers focus on institutional conditions for effective technology borrowing in East Asia, the place of institutions in the economy, a West Asian's view of East Asian economic development, total-factor-productivity-growth controversies, institutions, and economic performance in East Asia.

The article presents information about the book "The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism and the State," edited by Roger Goodman, Cordon White and Huck-Ju Kwon. Seven papers in the book provide an up-to-date analysis of the structure and dynamics of East Asian welfare systems, explore whether an "East Asian welfare model" exists, and, if so, what it is and how it developed. Papers provide an overview of the general economic, political, and historical background to the development of social welfare in five East Asian societies and present case studies of public housing under Singapore's party-state.

The article discusses the book "Trade and Development Report, 1998," as presented by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The report examines trends in the international economy with particular reference to developing countries. It focuses attention on the current financial turmoil in East Asia and on the continuing economic marginalization of Africa. It also discusses the African growth experience during the past three decades and prospects over the medium term, the structure and performance of African agriculture.

The article focuses on the book "Innovation in East Asia: The Challenge to Japan," by Michael Hobday. The book explores how firms from the four leading East Asian newly industrializing economies, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, acquired technology and managed their entry into international markets, focusing on the fast-growing electronics sector. Based, in large part, on 130 interviews with members of firms in each of the four countries between 1990 and 1993, the book describes the regional dynamics and economic background of East Asia.

The article presents information about the book "Tigers in Trouble: Financial Governance, Liberalisation and Crises in East Asia," edited by K.S. Jomo. Nine papers in the book analyze the currency and related liquidity crises in Southeast Asia and South Korea and present some arguments concerning liberalization and governance. Explores the nature of the East Asian financial crisis, the policy responses, and the implications of both. Scholar Jan Kregel explains why the collapse of the Asian emerging markets in 1997 differs from the Mexican peso crisis of 1994-95. Scholars C.P. Chandresekhar and Jayati Ghosh consider the political economy of crisis and response in Southeast Asia.

The article presents the book "The Rise and Decline of the Asian Century: False Starts on the Path to the Global Millennium," 3rd ed., by Christopher Lingle. It examines how the notion of an emerging Asian Century originated and describes the facts, events and circumstances that contributed to the recognition of the potential dominance of Pacific Asia over world affairs. It discusses various sources of geopolitical uncertainty that might disrupt the economic momentum of the region. It also explores how the collective nature of political and social institutions in East Asia is behind problems of environmental degradation in the region and considers how market-based policies can effectively address environmental concerns while allowing higher standards of living.