There are, in simple terms, three principal kinds of capital that come necessarily into play when a society is evolving towards improving the lives, livelihoods, and qualities of life of its people. The first form of capital is financial – this normally includes physical forms of invested money in plant, buildings, and infrastructure. The second form of capital is human – seen simply as the level and range of skills and capabilities that are available for use in the society. When people are literate, numerate, skilled, experienced, informed, cooperative, and inquisitive, they and their societies can do much more. The third form of capital is social. Here cooperativeness shows its effects, and the rules of how that works vary greatly between societies. It is the second of these elements, human capital, that is the main focus of this book, but it overlaps with social capital extensively in these accounts and can only be understood in terms of its connections into the wider societal system. The varying patterns of its workings and influence in different Asian contexts are explained against the background of a theory of societal progress. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Asia Pacific Business Review.

This book examines the recent rapid economic expansion in Thailand, and in Southeast Asia more generally. In a highly original argument, Unger considers the unique organization of Thai society, and the impact this has had on the country's institutions, and their political and economic outcomes. Unger takes an interdisciplinary approach, building on the literatures of social capital and embedded autonomy. The book's general, comparative discussion of social infrastructure is supplemented by case studies of specific sectors.

The paper reviews the growth performance of different groups of Asian economies, confirms the role of openness as a key factor explaining the growth differences among the Asian economies, and undertakes a preliminary investigation of the role of social capital and institutions. The role of openness in explaining growth differences among the Asian economies appears to be if anything greater than has been established in global samples. Various measures of social capital and institutional quality were not found to add explanatory power, perhaps because of the shortage of comparable data for the Asian economies. It is conjectured that the prospects are good for the technological catchup that has taken place in South-East Asia to be repeated elsewhere in Asia, and especially South Asia, partly in response to recent increases in openness. The role of social capital and institutions in facilitating this catchup remains to be established

East Asian countries have adopted remarkably good policies to ensure sustained economic growth, but how did they come to adopt such policies in the first place? This book produces a more thorough explanation than has previously been advanced drawing on several disciplines including contributions from anthropologists, economists, political scientists, technologists, demographers, historians and psychologists. Several contributors have held high positions in Asian governments. Four broad themes are identified: * effective governance * achieving and learning societies * growth with equity * external influences This is the most comprehensive account of the foundations of East Asia's rise. Its distinctiveness lies in the range of comparisons across the countries of East and South-East Asia and in the wide array of contributing disciplines.

The contributors to this volume analyze the growth experiences of Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan in light of the recently developed endogenous growth theory to provide an understanding of the economic boom in East Asia. The theory explored in this volume attributes the phenomenal economic success of these countries to, among other factors, the role of an outward orientation—a focus on exporting rather than on protecting home markets. In addition, the importance of exchange rate behavior, of the supportive role of government policy, and of the accumulation and promotion of physical and human capital are explored in detail. This collection also examines the extent to which growth in each country became self-sustaining once it began. Demonstrating the relevance of endogenous growth theory for studying this important region, this fourth volume in the NBER-East Asia Seminar on Economics series will be of interest to observers of East Asian affairs.

Previously the role of social capital - defined as the institutions and networks of relationships between people, and the associated norms and values - in programs of poverty alleviation and development has risen to considerable prominence. Although development practitioners have long suspected that social capital does affect the efficiency and quality of most development processes, this book provides the rigorous empirical results needed to confirm that impression and translate it into effective and informed policymaking. It is based on a large volume of collected data, relying equally on quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to establish approaches for measuring social capital and its impact. The book documents the pervasive role of social capital in accelerating poverty alleviation and rural development, facilitating the provision of goods and services, and easing political transition and recovery from civil conflicts.