The ten countries in the ASEAN region account for approximately 5% of world gross domestic product and 8% of world population and represent the most diverse group of nations in terms of the level of prosperity, political system, culture, language, and history. This diversity in ASEAN not only helps us understand the notion of national competitiveness, but also provides important policy lessons for both developed and developing countries.
This book — a collection of essays — provides insights on competitiveness challenges and policies. It provides an excellent overview of competitiveness for a group of countries at various stages of development. Written in a simple and accessible manner, this book will be of interest to students, researchers, business executives and government officials.
Sample Chapter(s)
Chapter 1: In Search of Competitiveness Policies (3,928 KB)
Contents:
- In Search of Competitiveness Policies (A Lall)
- The National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines: The Human Resource Development Focus of a Public-Private Partnership (F M Macaranas)
- Thailand: Automotive and Auto Parts Industry (N Wongtada & T Kanitpong)
- Challenges of Cluster Development in Thailand (A Vongpichet)
- Reengineering Policies: A Singapore Case (B S Neo & S Chung)
- Cambodia 1998–2008: An Episode of Rapid Growth (S Guimbert)
- Batam, Bintan & Karimum Special Economic Zone: Attracting Foreign Investment (K K Ng)
- Malaysia at the Crossroads Towards Vision 2020 (M Y Cheng)
- Whither Vietnam's Transition? (S Q Yu)
- Bigger Hurdles: Brunei, Laos & Myanmar (R Joshi)
- ASEAN's Merdeka Moment: A New Approach to Integration (J W Schwarz)
Readership: Students and academics interested in ASEAN; policy makers and general public.
“Facets of Competitiveness
offers an insightful analysis of what it means to be nationally competitive in today's global economy. The diversity of the ASEAN countries provides the perfect backdrop against which to measure the effectiveness of various competitiveness drivers from education to government regulation.”
Deborah L Wince-Smith
President and CEO
Council on Competitiveness
“At a time when the spotlight is on China and India, it is easy to forget that there are many other powerful and highly competitive economies in the neighborhood. This essential volume is a timely wake-up call for business decision makers and policy makers to not ignore the bigger and more granular picture of the growth potential of Asia. We ignore these well-crafted and thoroughly researched essays — and their subjects — at our own peril.”
Bhaskar Chakravorti
Partner, McKinsey & Company
Distinguished Scholar, MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship
Former faculty member, Harvard Business School and
Author of “The Slow Pace of Fast Change: Bringing Innovations to Market in a Connected World”
“Facets of Competitiveness
brings out the wide range of economic, political, and geographic contexts that ASEAN displays. It demonstrates very well that competitiveness strategies must be developed individually for each country, based on each country's particular context. They cannot be copied from others. It also shows the important role the business sector must have to drive competitiveness, supported by sound government policies.”
Maarten Kelder
Managing Partner (Asia Pacific), Monitor Group
“In the 1980s and 1990s, ASEAN economies gained global fame as having among the best performing economies in the world. Then China and India opened up. ASEAN failed to respond effectively and fell behind. Unless they move soon, China and India will leave them far behind. It is therefore timely to have a volume that examines the competitiveness of ASEAN economies and suggests why and how ASEAN policymakers should wake up and respond. Ashish Lall and the contributors deserve commendation for producing this volume.”
Kishore Mahbubani
Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and
Author of “The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East”
“Facets of Competitiveness
offers engaging local perspectives on the competitiveness and economic development of ASEAN countries. It is a valuable and informative resource for anyone interested in the recent history and dynamics of the region.”
Tony Nash
Global Director of Custom Research, Economist Intelligence Unit
