Dragons in Distress: Asia's Miracle Economies in Crisis
$12.95
Challenging the prevailing wisdom on Asia's "miracle economies," Dragons in Distress argues that South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore are headed for crisis. Writing for a diverse audience, Walden Bello and Stephanie Rosenfeld lead their readers on an exploration of the different dimensions of this crisis: environmental degradation, agriculture on the road to extinction, deteriorating labor-management relations, eroding political legitimacy, and deepening structural fissures in the industrial economy.
Dragons in Distress: Asia's Miracle Economies in Crisis
Showing how these problems
stem from the dynamics of the model of high speed, export-oriented industrialization,
they suggest strategies to surmount the unfolding crisis and open up the path
to equitable and ecologically sustainable development. The first comprehensive
critique of the "Newly Industrialized Countries" (NICs) paradigm,
this book is a very welcome antidote to the usual uncritical celebration of
the "dragon" or "tiger" economies.
"A thorough, fascinating, but disturbing analysis of the fragile economic
miracles of Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore.... Indispensable reading for anyone
who wants to know what is really happening to this important corner of the world
economy."
--Richard Barnet, senior fellow, Institute for Policy Studies
"A well-done and much-needed critique of the Korean economy. The exposition
is clear, the collation of information quite impressive and convincing, the
material on textiles, automobiles, and computers excellent."
--Bruce Cummings, Professor of History, University of Chicago
"Miracle-believers will want to burn this book; others will find it a
well-argued and refreshing antidote to the current wisdom."
--Sam Bowles, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts
"Bello and Rosenfeld's provocative and highly informative analysis makes
an invaluable contribution to a balanced understanding of the South Korean political
economy and its implications for other Third World economies."
--Hagen Koo, Professor of Sociology, University of Hawaii
"At a time when the world is beginning to understand the inextricable
link between misguided development and environmental degradation, Dragons
in Distress provides a provocative and vivid warning to the blind disciples
of the NICs model."
--David Brower, environmentalist
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: The Rise and Crisis of the Dragon Economies
PART I: Korea: A Model Unravels
Introduction to Part I
Chapter One: The Making of an Insurrectionary Working Class
Chapter Two: The Rise of Command Capitalism
Chapter Three: From Command Capitalism to the Chaebol Republic
Chapter Four: Sacrificing Agriculture
Chapter Five: The Toxic Trade-off
Chapter Six: High Tech: Solution or Illusion?
Chapter Seven: Textile's Troubles
Chapter Eight: Ambition and Frustration in the Auto Industry
Chapter Nine: Chaebol Dreams and Silicon Realities
Chapter Ten: Korea's Economy at the Crossroads
PART II: Taiwan In Trouble
Introduction to Part II
Chapter Eleven: Agriculture: The Road to Extinction
Chapter Twelve: The Making of an Environmental Nightmare
Chapter Thirteen: The Challenge from Labor
Chapter Fourteen: The Triple Alliance in Taiwan
Chapter Fifteen: The Structural Squeeze
Chapter Sixteen: Taiwan's Dilemmas
PART III: Singapore Adrift
Introduction to Part III
Chapter Seventeen: The Making of a Transnational Haven
Chapter Eighteen: Controlling the Labor Force
Chapter Nineteen: Brave New Isle
Chapter Twenty: Uncertain Future
Conclusion: The NICs, the Future, and the Third World
Notes
Glossary
Selected Readings
Resource Guide
