What brought about a financial crisis in the "miracle" economies of Asia? What went wrong with financial reform in Asia? What can the developing countries of the world learn from the reform experiences in Asia? Financial Liberalization and the Economic Crisis in Asia analyses how financial liberalization was undertaken in eight Asian countries and how it might be linked to the subsequent crises. The country studies focus on China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand.

This work examines the effects of financial liberalization of the more advanced economies in Southeast Asia and analyses the degree to which emerging and transitional economies in East and South Asia can benefit from this example.

The financial crisis that hit a number of 'miracle' economies of Asia in 1997 shocked the world. Financial Liberalization and the Asian Crisis rejects conventional explanations of the crisis as the outcome primarily of inefficient and corrupt economics systems in the countries concerned. It argues that the crisis was the result of premature and overly rapid financial liberalization in a world of increasing financial liquidity and volatility, and calls for a more cautious approach to financial liberalization, and a reform of the international financial architecture.

This study examines the social impact of the Asian financial crisis which began in July 1997. Several countries experienced an economic shock of unprecedented severity after decades of uninterrupted growth. The severe rise in unemployment and its repercussions in the worst-affected countries (Thailand, Republic of Korea and Indonesia) overwhelmed the underdeveloped systems of social protection. Higher unemployment and inflation combined to push many people into poverty. A central policy message is that current programmes of policy and institutional reform following the crisis, should include a basic rethinking of the social dimension of the future model of development. The author also argues for the introduction of unemployment insurance, the expansion of social assistance and the strengthening of active labour market policies.

Written by leading economists, the papers in this collection examine the different effects of trade and financial liberalization on the economic performance of Latin America and Asia. In the face of a deepening economic crisis in Latin America, the contributors examine the assumptions and dangers of indiscriminate economic liberalization policies which disregard the institutional arrangements or historical background of a country in the interests of narrower, more technical criteria such as speed of policy implementation. Addressing policy, conflict management, Asian and Latin American economies, and labor market institutions in Asia and Latin America, this study is an important contribution to the debate on trade and financial liberalization.

Khan presents a theory of financial crises in the age of globalization from an evolutionary perspective and suggests policies that may be necessary for averting or managing new financial crises. Starting with the Asian financial crises, he identifies new types of financial crises that result from a combination of liberalization, weak domestic institutions for economic governance and a chaotic global market system without global governance institutions. Suggested solutions involve building new institutions for global and domestic governance and domestic and international policy reforms.

An IMF paper reviewing the policy responses of Indonesia, Korea and Thailand to the 1997 Asian crisis, comparing the actions of these three countries with those of Malaysia and the Philippines. Although all judgements are still tentative, important lessons can be learned from the experiences of the last two years.