Small countries, big lessons : governance and the rise of East Asia / Hilton L. Root.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-238) and index.

Development management has for far too long been immobilized by an unwillingness to reconsider the structure and role of government. The notion that government institutions themselves (and not just the policies they implement) can be altered to achieve policy goals challenges these old assumptions. In this book, Hilton L. Root demonstrates that the ability to craft and adopt new institutions is as important to good governance as the formulation of new policies. Drawing lessons from the rapid economic rise of East Asia, he documents how institutional innovation and reform changed the course of development in seven East Asian countries. ... Through analysis of East Asia's transition from a network to a contract-based economy, this book identifies some general and transferable lessons for social and economic development as a whole. These lessons offer the best hope to developing countries of building the institutional foundations necessary to enjoy the benefits of a global economy. -- book jacket.