Re: A better World System

On Sun, 23 Jan 2000, Paul Riesz wrote:

> happened in many East Asian countries formerly under colonial rule:
> These countries achieved significant, sometimes astonishing improvements 
>in
> their prosperity through their own efforts. What made the difference were
> hard working populations, anxious to improve the education of their
> children and efficient managers. Such qualities are especially prominent
> among the Chinese, but the much more easygoing Southeast Asians did 
>equally
> well.

What SE Asian countries were these? Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the
Philippines have grown some, but are still pretty much neocolonies of
Japan and the US, with per capita GDPs ranging from $500-$2500 or so.
South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore did indeed develop significantly, but
this was mostly thanks to powerful and efficient developmental states,
plus lots of help from the US (Cold War subsidies, open export markets,
etc.). Hong Kong, the one exception here, proves the rule: the indigenous
biz elites were mostly expatriates from Shanghai, who brought their
capital and skills with them, and then made a mint as mainland China's
trading link to the outside world. 

-- Dennis