PSCI214 - POL ECON OF E. ASIA

This course examines the interplay between politics and economics in East Asia. A major course objective is to reconcile the region's past success with the difficulties experienced in many of these countries more recently. Another primary objective is to consider in what ways and to what degree the growth experiences of the high-performing economies in East Asia shed light on the prospects for long-term success of reforms currently underway in China and Vietnam. The first half of the course begins by exploring the causes and consequences of the rise of industrial Asia. The second half of the course examines the challenges to sustained growth faced by many countries in this region in recent years. The course concludes by examining the challenges faced by China and Vietnam today in their attempt to embrace more market-oriented economic systems.