Japan and East Asia: Still a Special Path?

Professor Woo argues that the 1997 East Asian currency crisis had its roots in the changing political economy of the region. The post-World War II paradigm for economic development in the region was destroyed by the crisis and a new more Sino-centric configuration has begun to unfold. Ron Bevacqua argues that Japan created a very successful model of development that was based on the idea of the state maintaining order through growth and market-oriented policies. However, this model has now reached its limits, if Japan wants to continue to be a world leader. The accompanying audio files provide the complete recording of the two talks.