This substantial work explores the impact of monetization in premodern Southeast Asia from the third century BCE to the rise of Maleka in the early fifteenth century. The author explores why concepts of money developed unevenly throughout the region. He considers trade policies, price controls, exchange ratios, monopolies, variant standards of value, and the administrative structures required to support such a complex economic innovation.

The countries of East and Southeast Asia have the world's most dynamic money markets. Essential to the Asian economy, their performance plays a crucial role in the successful development of other financial markets, such as those for business and consumer loans. This original study of the effect of government policy on the performance of money markets in the economies of this region (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea) is the only comprehensive book addressing this topic available today. Individual chapters were written by experts in the field, and were guided by a common research methodology. This book will be of great value to Pacific Basin specialists, bankers, academics, and public policy planners in finance.

In this collection of essays Professor Drake draws together theoretical reflection and applied studies in the important areas of international trade and investment, the provision and management of national money and the emergence of markets for equity shares and bonds in Southeast Asia. They provide insights into the processes of economic development, with broader applicability beyond Southeast Asia. of acceptable/convertible money in underpinning and promoting economic development, and of a sustained surplus on the balance of international payments for growing the supply of money. It also looks into securities markets in the later stage of development when funds for investment depend on collective rather than individual sources.

Money in Asia examines two chronic problems that faced early modern monetary economies in East, South, and Southeast Asia: The inability to provide sufficient amounts of small currencies to facilitate local economic transactions and to control currency depreciation.

Money in Asia examines two chronic problems that faced early modern monetary economies in East, South, and Southeast Asia: The inability to provide sufficient amounts of small currencies to facilitate local economic transactions and to control currency depreciation. The studies in this volume analyze the social and economic consequences of small currency scarcity and devaluation on various Asian economies and show how various regimes tried to manage these ever-present challenges. They reveal that those regimes that dealt most successfully with these two issues were those with an integrated national approach to monetary policy. Contributors are: Peter Bernholz, Werner Burger, Cao Jin, Mark Elvin, Dennis O. Flynn, Roger Greatrex, Najaf Haider, Reinier H. Hesselink, Elisabeth Kaske, Man-houng Lin, Jane Kate Leonard, Christine Moll-Murata, Keiko Nagase-Reimer, Shan Kunqin, Shimada Ryūto, Ulrich Theobald, Hans Ulrich Vogel, and Willem Wolters