
The Political Economy of the Asian Financial Crisis
Book Description
Body
The Asian crisis has sparked a thoroughgoing reappraisal of current international financial norms, the policy prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund, and the adequacy of the existing financial architecture. To draw proper policy conclusions from the crisis, it is necessary to understand exactly what happened and why from both a political and an economic perspective. In this study, renowned political scientist Stephan Haggard examines the political aspects of the crisis in the countries most affected—Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Haggard focuses on the political economy of the crisis, emphasizing the longer-run problems of moral hazard and corruption, as well as the politics of crisis management and the political fallout that ensued. He looks at the degree to which each government has rewoven the social safety net and discusses corporate and financial restructuring and greater transparency in business-government relations. Professor Haggard provides a counterpoint to the analysis by examining why Singapore, Taiwan, and the Philippines escaped financial calamity.
Editorial Reviews
Haggard's depth and breadth of understanding of both the domestic politics and economic policies of all these countries is unrivalled, as also of the issues at stake on the business-government side throughout the region ... Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Australia National University
The volume ... provides an excellent overview of both the theories and facts of the crisis. Strongly recommended for academic collections, lower-division undergraduate through research. Choice
Haggard's depth and breadth of understanding of both the domestic politics and economic policies of all these countries is unrivalled, as also of the issues at stake on the business-government side throughout the region ... Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Australia National University
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Political Economy of the Asian Financial Crisis
1. Business-Government Relations and Economic Vulnerability
2. Incumbent Governments and the Politics of Crisis Management
3. Crisis, Political Change, and Economic Reform
4. The Politics of Financial and Corporate Restructuring
5. The Social Fallout: Safety Nets and Recrafting the Social Contract
6. Conclusion: A New Asian Miracle
References
Index