Spanish edition (Experiencia de Asia Oriental). East Asian policies that fostered economic growth, reduced poverty, and raised living standards are the main theme of this cogent overview. Seven newly industrialized economies (NIEs) are described and compared. They are Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. These country studies examine the macroeconomic policies common to NIEs. They review the highly flexible government interventions that succeeded in developing key industries and the more aggressive interventions that led to failure. The role foreign direct investment plays in producing dramatic growth is also discussed. Also available in English (ISBN 0-8213-2607-4) Stock No. 12607.

After the breakup of the USSR, it briefly appeared as though Russia's emerging commercial banks might act as engines of growth for a new capitalist economy. However, despite more than a decade of "reforms," Russia's financial system collapsed in 1998. Why had ambitious efforts to decentralize and liberalize the banking industry failed? In A Fistful of Rubles, Juliet Johnson offers the first comprehensive look at how Russia's banks, once expected to revitalize the nation's economy, instead became one of the largest obstacles to its recovery.Drawing on interviews with Russian bankers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, Johnson traces the evolution of the banking system from 1987 through the aftermath of the 1998 crash. She describes how dysfunctional institutional procedures left over from the Soviet period hindered the subsequent development of sound financial practices. Johnson argues that these legacies, along with misguided, Western-inspired liberalization policies, led to the creation of parasitic banks for which success depended on political connections rather than on investment strategies. Johnson demonstrates that banking reform efforts ultimately did more harm than good, because Russian officials and their international advisers failed to build the corresponding economic, legal, and political institutions upon which modern market behavior depends.

Fixing Russia's Banks documents how Russia's financial system is built on what Michael S. Bernstam and Alvin Rabushka call ersatz banks. These inferior imitation banks have served largely as tools of the government to redistribute public funds to favored firms. The highly vaunted achievements of privatization, removal of price controls, and foreign trade liberalization have failed to produce growth because of a lack of private financing. National income has declined nearly 40 percent since 1992, with no recovery in sight.

'...required reading for all who are seriously interested in the modern Russian economy.' - Pekka Sutela, Slavic Review Russian Banking considers the rise of commercial market-oriented banks in Russia, their links with government and non-financial companies and their role as intermediaries in the provision of finance for investment. The contributors explore the legacy of the Soviet past and current functions of the Russian banking system, contrasting these with those in other post-communist societies and describing peculiarities such as informal networks and corruption. The book also discusses the economic and global aspects of Russia's reform, focusing on financial crises, foreign depositors to Russian banks and the implications for Russian foreign debt. This up-to-date and comprehensive account of commercial banking in modern Russia will appeal to those concerned with the economics of transition or comparative banking. Political scientists and sociologists with an interest in forms of capitalism and the roles of banks will also find the book to be a fascinating read.

Buyske analyzes three themes in economic development: the global growth of microfinance, banking sector development, and Russian entrepreneurship.

This paper discusses key findings of the Financial System Stability Assessment of Russian Federation. The Russian banking system is weak and likely to need additional capital. Even in the baseline scenario, certain banks will need new capital owing to low profitability and increasing credit losses. The required resources increase in the stress scenarios, but remain manageable. Bank regulation and supervision have greatly improved in recent years, but there is more to be done. Key areas for improvement include related party lending, country and transfer risks, operational risks, and supervisory interactions with external auditors. In addition, the implementation of risk-based supervision is also in progress.