China's transition to a market economy has propelled its remarkable economic growth since the late 1970s. In this book, Nicholas R. Lardy, one of the world's foremost experts on the Chinese economy, traces the increasing role of market forces and refutes the widely advanced argument that Chinese economic progress rests on the government's control of the economy's "commanding heights." In another challenge to conventional wisdom, Lardy finds little evidence that the decade of the leadership...

China’s extraordinarily rapid economic growth since 1978, driven by market-oriented reforms, has set world records and continued unabated, despite predictions of an inevitable slowdown. In The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China?, the renowned China scholar Nicholas R. Lardy argues that China’s future growth prospects could be equally bright but are shadowed by the specter of resurgent state dominance, which has begun to diminish the vital role of the market an...

China Versus the West is an innovative book.The author, a leading specialist on the international and Asian economy and business, presents the most comprehensive picture of the changing power balance between the emerging superpower China and the "old" developed economies of the West: mainly the US, Europe and Japan. The reader can clearly see in what areas and to what extent China has become the world leader, in what areas it is catching up and in what are...

The wealth derived from natural resources can have a tremendous impact on the economics and politics of producing countries. In the last quarter century, we have seen the surprising and sobering consequences of this wealth, producing what is now known as the "resource curse." Countries with large endowments of natural resources, such as oil and gas, often do worse than their poorer neighbors. Their resource wealth frequently leads to lower growth rates, greater volatility, more corruption,...

Has the greenback really lost its preeminent place in the world? Not according to currency expert Marc Chandler, who explains why so many are—wrongly—pessimistic about both the dollar and the U.S. economy.Making Sense of the Dollar explores the many factors—trade deficits, the dollar’s role in the world, globalization, capitalism, and more—that affect the dollar and the U.S. economy and lead to the inescapable conclusion that both are much stronger than many people suppose...

With technology and globalization advancing at breakneck speed, the world economy becomes more complex by the day. Activists, politicians, and media enablers—conservative and liberal, left and right, informed and just plain wrong—consistently seize this opportunity to present woefully simplistic explanations and hype the latest myths regarding issues affecting the economy. Their purpose is not to educate but to advocate and, in many cases involving the media, manufacture outrage to drive r...

China's accession to the WTO requires a great many specific policy reforms. However, if the best results are to be obtained, it is important that these reforms be implemented as part of a consistent development program, rather than simply by treating them as a recipe. To do this, policy makers must understand the range and nature of the policy changes required by accession, their implications for the economy, and the availability and effects of supporting policies. China and the WTO analyzes ...

This book presents the proceedings of a conference held in Beijing, China, on the role of central banks. Among the speakers were Paul A. Volcker, Miguel Mancera, and Jean Godeaux. The paperss review the role of monetary policy, its formulation and implementation, the supervision and regulation of financial systems, and the structure and responsibilities of central banks. The book is jointly published, both in English and Chinese, by the People's Bank of China, the IMF, and the UNDP.

The global financial crisis of 2007-09, and the Great Recession that it engendered, were both a challenge and an opportunity for Asia. The region not only remained unharmed by the global financial crisis initially but also recovered the fastest. In addition, it was also the principal driver of the global recovery.This book analyzes the impact of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession on the Asian economy. Chapters look at the most significant issues related to the Asia...

Many of the world's major economies boast dominant international currencies. Not so for China. Its renminbi has lagged far behind the pound, the euro, and the dollar in global circulation—and for good reason. China has long privileged economic policies that have fueled development at the expense of the renminbi's growth, and it has become clear that the underpowered currency is threatening China's future. The nation's leaders now face the daunting task of strengthening the currency without...

The International Investment regime is one of the fastest growing areas of international economic law which increasingly rely on large membership investment treaties such as the ASEAN comprehensive Investment Agreement. This book comprehensively examines the role of this specific agreement and situates it in the wider trend towards the regionalisation of laws and policy on foreign investment.