ABSTRACT
The last twenty-five years have been characterised by a phenomenal growth in East and Southeast Asian countries. In contrast, other countries in Asia performed moderately over this period. In this paper, an attempt has been made to capture the overall economic performance of the countries of the above regions since the 1997 financial crisis. A comparative analysis of various East Asian nations (including countries of Southeast Asia, from now on regarded as East Asia) was carried out, considering economic factors, such as growth rate, savings, investment, exports and imports over the last ten years. Social progress was also analysed. This analysis will, at least, contribute partly to answering the frequently raised questions in the literature: Why have the East Asian countries had continued growth over such a long period of time? Why were they subject to a financial crisis in 1997? Has there been a full recovery ten years after the crisis?
