Economies of East Asia

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The main objective of this course is to provide students with an overview of the leading economic issues that emerge from a comparative analysis of the East Asian economies. The emphasis is on those issues related to the diverse economic growth and development experiences of the countries of the region. On the growth and development front, the region offers a virtual smorgasbord of different experiences. The course compares and contrasts these records with a view to explaining the differences and drawing some general lessons. Some of the key topics covered include: East Asia’s miracle, financial crisis, recovery and quest for sustainable economic growth; China’s economic assent and integration within the world economy; East Asia’s stray cat, the Philippines; Asia’s transition economies; Japan’s fledgling economic recovery; post-conflict reconstruction in Cambodia; economic integration on the Korean peninsula; economic cooperation within Asia; Asia’s environment outlook; and the region’s competitiveness and future in the global economy. In addition, the course covers the performance of the global capital market in Asia, and the issues associated with the activities of the world’s multilateral trade, finance, and development institutions (WTO, IMF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank) within the Asian region. The prerequisites for this course are principles of micro and macroeconomics. Some background in development economics and ability to interpret regression results are useful although not required.