The developing economies of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) have been the recipients of a considerable volume of capital inflows in the 1990s. Given the increased integration of capital markets, it is not surprising that monetary control became more difficult for many developing APEC economies. Formulating an appropriate policy response has naturally been important. The three papers that make up this Occasional Paper each examine different aspects of these issues.

"This book assembles papers that were produced under a three year collaborative research program on 'China and APEC' undertaken by the AustraliaJapan Research Centre, in the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Management at The Australian National University and the APEC Policy Research Center, in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. ... The work on this project and the papers in the volume provide a base for developing ideas that could be helpful to the policy agenda for APEC 2001."--Preface.

The 1990s witnessed several acute currency crises among developing nations that invariably spread to other nearby at-risk countries. These episodes—in Mexico, Thailand, South Korea, Russia, and Brazil—were all exacerbated by speculative foreign investments and high-volume movements of capital in and out of those countries. Insufficient domestic controls and a sluggish international response further undermined these economies, as well as the credibility of external oversight agencies like the International Monetary Fund. This timely volume examines the correlation between volatile capital mobility, currency instability, and the threat of regional contagion, focusing particular attention on the emergent economies of Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. Together these studies offer a new understanding of the empirical relationship between capital flows, international trade, and economic performance, and also afford key insights into realms of major policy concern.

Governments, industry representative groups and individual businesses are all seeking to develop improved management of risks so that potential crises can be avoided. This AICST report offers a broad coverage of risks related to tourism in the Asia Pacific region and strategic approaches to managing these risks. A comprehensive list of websites is provided on a separate CD-ROM [NOT AVAILABLE WITH PDF PURCHASE] recognising that this medium changes daily and the current list is only a sample of the material available on the Internet. This publication is also available for free download at www.crctourism.com.au

This volume, edited by Said El-Naggar, is the fifth in a series of seminars dealing with economic issues of particular importance to the Arab countries. Held in Manama, Bahrain, in February 1993, it covered topics pertaining to economic development of the Arab countries in the nineties. The seven papers that were presented comprised economic reform in the Arab countries, including particularly structural issues; investment policies and capital flows; inter-Arab labor movements; environment and development; development of human resources; and European economic integration. An overview of the topics is presented by the seminar moderator, Said El-Naggar.