East Asia and the world economy / Alvin Y. So, Stephen W.K. Chiu.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-296) and index.

Pt. I. Theoretical Introduction. 1. Current Perspectives on East Asian Development -- Pt. II. Incorporation. 2. The Decline of the Chinese Empire. 3. The Great Escape of Japan -- Pt. III. Regionalization. 4. Japan and Its Colonial Empire. 5. The Sino-Japanese Wars and the Chinese Communist Revolution -- Pt. IV. Ascent. 6. The Socialist Trajectory of China and North Korea. 7. The Corization of Japan. 8. The Semiperipheralization of the Newly Industrializing Economies -- Pt. V. Centrality. 9. United States-Japan Hegemonic Rivalry. 10. The Chinese Triangle of Mainland-Taiwan-Hong Kong. 11. Conclusion.

In contrast to the literature's focuses on market, culture, state, and dependency, East Asia and the World Economy points to the crucial role of geopolitical and regional factors in East Asian development. The authors provide a cohesive review of the world-systems model as it applies to East Asia, exploring its intellectual heritage, the historical context through which it arose, its basic assumptions, and its policy implications.

To illustrate how this model works in East Asia, the authors examine the economies of Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, North Korea, and Japan. The result is a fascinating study that demonstrates how the world-systems model provides a more focused explanation of East Asia's peculiar pattern of development.