ABSTRACT
The Asian and Pacific region is arguably the most populous, culturally distinctive and economically powerful region in the world today. ‘The region’ is subject to alternative spatial interpretations with contemporary reports providing contrasting definitions and boundaries as well as comparative assessments of particular countries and cities. Despite boundary definitions, for the purposes of comparison there is no argument today over the significance of this cluster of countries and their combined impact on the political economy of the world. Recent reports from global development agencies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the OECD as well as myriad journal articles and books record the spectacular transition of countries in this region over the past six decades. The literature on this region is littered with references to the ‘Asian Economic Miracle’, the rise of the ‘Asian Tigers’ and the speed with which countries in Asia have moved from ‘underdevelopment’ to become global economic and political powers. Irrespective of the indicators recording the achievements of the region over recent years or the significance of particular countries such as China, India, Indonesia and Japan in the political forums of the international community, Asia and the Pacific has emerged today as perhaps the most dominant yet least understood region in the world.
