Book Reviews : Howard Stein (Ed.), Asian Industrialization and Africa: Studies in Policy Alternatives to Structural Adjustment (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995), xvii, 284 pp. Cloth $65.00, paper $24.95
Abstract
Book ReviewsHoward Stein (Ed.), Asian Industrialization and Africa: Studies in Policy Alternatives to Structural Adjustment (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995), xvii, 284 pp. Cloth $65.00, paper $24.95 SAGE Publications, Inc.1998DOI: 10.1177/002190969803300425 Berhanu Abegaz The College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A. This volume is comprised of eight essays including the introduction by the Editor. Four of the eight authors have done research on African development. The primary goal of the collection is to identify the relevant lessons for Africa of the spectacular industrial achievements of East and South-East Asia (ESEA). As the editor puts it (p. 2). "The focus of these studies is on the most successful countries in the region and on the policies responsible for rapid industrialization, a route which Africa will need to follow if it is to significantly increase the ;tandard of living for its population. The chapters also cover the historical stages which are the most comparable to the current position of many African countries." Given that over half of Africans had lower living standards in 1996 than in 1966, the search for a better development strategy by canvassing the neighborhood of successful latecomers is noble indeed. The volume joins another