Topic: Political Economy of East Asia

Is the "East Asian model" of development myth or reality? Has it been
proven flawed by the financial crisis? And what are the political
consequences of East Asia's prosperity and (in)equality? This graduate
seminar considers the interaction between political institutions and
behavior and economic development by comparing (and contrasting) the
political economies of countries in Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and the
region's market-oriented Communist states. Emphasis is on thematic issues,
not any individual country. The initial focus is on domestic contexts, but
we will also consider countries' interaction with each other and the larger
global environment (e.g., the Cold War, globalization).

Readings, 250-300 pages per week, range from seminal (and not so seminal)
academic works to company case studies. Other assignments include 1
analysis paper on the assigned readings, a concise "editorial"
presentation, and a research paper that compares some aspect of the
political economies of at least two countries from different sub-regions.