ABSTRACT
The economies of Asia have undergone a transformation over the past five decades as they moved from being primarily agrarian societies to more modern industrial states. The development was, however, uneven in time and progress and the region is now representative of a range of economic development. This is true of the economies represented in this collection. Substantial economic growth commenced in Japan in the 1950s, although it is important to recognize that their industrialization commenced with the Meiji restoration in 1868. In the 1960s South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan began to industrialize and this was followed by Thailand and China in the late 1970s, and more recently India.
