The 1997-8 Asian financial crisis exposed weaknesses in the region's national financial systems, but since then East Asia has become the world's most dynamic economic region. Domestic financial systems have developed, cross-border financial flows within the region are growing apace as demand from governments and large firms increases and as the capabilities of financial institutions develop, and governments have initiated regional cooperation aimed at preventing future crises and managing them if they occur. This book examines the economies of Asia and the Pacific with reference to financial reform and liberalization, monetary policy frameworks, banking and capital markets, regulation and supervision and macroeconomic policies. Further, it asks what lessons have been learned from both the Asian financial crisis and the recent financial crisis, how to engender financial stability in the region, and how to ensure that the benefits of economic growth and financial development reach all members of society. Across four key sections, the chapters examine the future implications of historical studies of the relationships between financial development and growth; financial development including banks, non-bank financial institutions and capital markets; how financial stability is being sought in the region; and China's plans for capital account opening and renminbi internationalization and subsequent the policy implications for China's neighbours. This book draws on papers originally presented to the 36th Pacific Trade and Development Conference held in Hong Kong in 2013, and features contributions from leading academics and economists from around the world. As such, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of Asian economics, Asia Pacific studies, international economics and international finance.

The entire planet looks to Asian and other emerging markets to sustain growth momentum as traditional markets in the USA and Europe struggle with the slow and arduous processes of deleveraging after the global financial crisis. At the same time, there is growing recognition in Asia that the sources of growth must shift to sustain their own growth momentum in the years ahead. Heavy reliance on the region's high savings rates and plentiful supplies of low-cost labour will have to shift towards increasing the human capital embodied in more educated and skilled labour forces capable of contributing to productivity growth and innovation as future drivers of growth. Human Capital Formation and Economic Growth in Asia and the Pacific focuses on why and how countries are making this shift. The demographic transition is shown to be a significant factor as ageing populations in Japan, South Korea and China manage declining growth in the labour force by stepping up investments in education, and by changing policies and institutions. Lessons to be learned from these experiences by more youthful populations in Southeast Asia are explored. In addition, attention is paid to the consequences of cross-border differentials in technical knowledge and the quantity and quality of human capital. Several implications for public policy and for international cooperation on human-capital issues in the Asian region are identified. The chapters in this volume are edited versions of papers presented at the 35th Pacific Trade and Development conference held in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2012. The conference goal was to better understand how governments and business in Asia and the Pacific can apply the key insight that one of the reasons economies grow is because of human-capital formation - the quality and diversity of the labour force are augmented - not just because the labour force grows in size. Students of Asia's growth prospects will find several aspects of this volume of particular value. It includes chapters on the big-picture conceptual and measurement issues; on country experiences in meeting the imperatives of the demographic transition and investing in education and skills training; and on country experiences with attracting foreign knowledge and the supply and recruitment of skills across borders in Asia and the Pacific. Policymakers will also find useful the discussions of policy implications and the menu of issues requiring intergovernmental cooperation within the Asian region.

The 1997-8 Asian financial crisis exposed weaknesses in the region's national financial systems, but since then East Asia has become the world's most dynamic economic region. Domestic financial systems have developed, cross-border financial flows within the region are growing apace as demand from governments and large firms increases and as the capabilities of financial institutions develop, and governments have initiated regional cooperation aimed at preventing future crises and managing them if they occur. This book examines the economies of Asia and the Pacific with reference to financial reform and liberalization, monetary policy frameworks, banking and capital markets, regulation and supervision and macroeconomic policies. Further, it asks what lessons have been learned from both the Asian financial crisis and the recent financial crisis, how to engender financial stability in the region, and how to ensure that the benefits of economic growth and financial development reach all members of society. Across four key sections, the chapters examine the future implications of historical studies of the relationships between financial development and growth; financial development including banks, non-bank financial institutions and capital markets; how financial stability is being sought in the region; and China's plans for capital account opening and renminbi internationalization and subsequent the policy implications for China's neighbours. This book draws on papers originally presented to the 36th Pacific Trade and Development Conference held in Hong Kong in 2013, and features contributions from leading academics and economists from around the world. As such, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of Asian economics, Asia Pacific studies, international economics and international finance.

The entire planet looks to Asian and other emerging markets to sustain growth momentum as traditional markets in the USA and Europe struggle with the slow and arduous processes of deleveraging after the global financial crisis. At the same time, there is growing recognition in Asia that the sources of growth must shift to sustain their own growth momentum in the years ahead. Heavy reliance on the region's high savings rates and plentiful supplies of low-cost labour will have to shift towards increasing the human capital embodied in more educated and skilled labour forces capable of contributing to productivity growth and innovation as future drivers of growth. Human Capital Formation and Economic Growth in Asia and the Pacific focuses on why and how countries are making this shift. The demographic transition is shown to be a significant factor as ageing populations in Japan, South Korea and China manage declining growth in the labour force by stepping up investments in education, and by changing policies and institutions. Lessons to be learned from these experiences by more youthful populations in Southeast Asia are explored. In addition, attention is paid to the consequences of cross-border differentials in technical knowledge and the quantity and quality of human capital. Several implications for public policy and for international cooperation on human-capital issues in the Asian region are identified. The chapters in this volume are edited versions of papers presented at the 35th Pacific Trade and Development conference held in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2012. The conference goal was to better understand how governments and business in Asia and the Pacific can apply the key insight that one of the reasons economies grow is because of human-capital formation - the quality and diversity of the labour force are augmented - not just because the labour force grows in size. Students of Asia's growth prospects will find several aspects of this volume of particular value. It includes chapters on the big-picture conceptual and measurement issues; on country experiences in meeting the imperatives of the demographic transition and investing in education and skills training; and on country experiences with attracting foreign knowledge and the supply and recruitment of skills across borders in Asia and the Pacific. Policymakers will also find useful the discussions of policy implications and the menu of issues requiring intergovernmental cooperation within the Asian region.

In Governance, Multinationals and Growth, leading scholars celebrate and build upon the pioneering work of Edward Safarian on multinational enterprises and foreign direct investment. The book explores the linkages among multinationals and foreign direct investment, corporate and public governance, and economic growth. The contributors pay particular attention to emerging policy issues that include the behavior of individual governments, intergovernmental organizations and civil society. In addition, they address linkages among MNEs, their governance and economic growth, and generic policy realities (and innovations) in a small-to-medium-sized economy. The comprehensive coverage includes discussion of: the impacts of foreign ownership on productivity and growth; family controlled pyramidal groups and economic nationalism; trade liberalization, product diversification and FDI patterns; mergers and acquisitions as a form of FDI; uncertain market access, risk aversion and state subsidies as locational determinants within a free trade area; changes in the international policy environment facing multinationals; environmental investor-state disputes; and international economic policy issues facing small economies with large neighbors. This authoritative volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of foreign direct investment and multinational enterprises, as well as to government economists and policymakers tackling these issues.

It is often pointed out that "for every bad borrower, and for every failed project, there is also a culpable lender or investor." This observation is particularly apt for the debate now raging in the capital markets: should private bankers and investment managers bear a greater share of the costs when financial crises erupt in emerging economies? Critics who have analyzed the "plumbing" of the world's financial architecture have thus far devoted enormous attention to the demand side -- structural weaknesses in emerging markets. They have excoriated the IMF for ineptitude and policy mistakes.

But the authors of his study argue that financial leaders of the G-10 nations (industrial nations that were hardly affected by the crises of 1997-98) have a responsibility -- both to their own citizens and the emerging markets -- to take a far more vigilant stance. Dobson and Hufbauer criticize the supply side of world capital markets and ask how G-10 capital suppliers can reform their own financial systems to make the world safe for large-scale international capital flows. They draw a comprehensive picture of international finance through an extensive review of capital flows, the major financial players behind these flows, and the balance between costs and benefits of international capital movements. The authors analyze the implications of changing the rules of the game and recommend specific policy measures.

The stakes were high in the financial services negotiations that were completed in December 1997 at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The developing countries were eager to strengthen and modernize their financial systems. The industrial countries sought access to important emerging markets in Latin America and Asia for their banking, insurance, brokerage, and other financial services firms. In the end, both sides agreed to bind unilateral and regional financial opening and reform that was already under way in many countries, industrial and developing alike. The authors assess the agreement reached in the WTO, identifying its shortcomings and suggesting ways that it can be bolstered in future negotiations. They analyze the impact of the agreement, and of the Asian financial crisis, on the state of liberalization and market opening in several important emerging-market economies-including a summary of the remaining obstacles to establishing efficient and open financial sectors. This book estimates the benefits of opening the financial sector to foreign competition. It assesses the macroeconomic benefits that flow from an improved financial sector and discusses the risks and costs involved in liberalization. The authors conclude with a blueprint for future efforts to liberalize financial services and emphasize that the recent financial services agreement represented only a beginning step in that process.

The HSBC Bank Canada Papers on Asia series was begun in 1995 to examine Canada's relationship with the East Asian economies and to reduce the information barriers resulting from distance and unfamiliarity in these markets. Six years on from the inception of the series, much has changed in the international environment. The Asian economies suffered a significant crash, a rapid rebound, only to slow again in 2000-2001. This, the sixth and last volume in the series, looks to the future. This new volume focuses on key issues facing the region that corporations and governments should understand, including East Asian regionalization initiatives, obstacles to continued rapid growth in China, aging and pension reform, and the changing security environment. In addition, the Canadian business performance six years on is re-evaluated.

With contributions from leading scholars intimately familiar with both Canadian and East Asian business practices, these volumes are an indispensable resource for corporations and governments looking to expand their business into East Asia, or for anyone who wants to better understand Canada's complex relationship with the Asian countries.

This volume examines how foreign firms, which are entering or operating in various Asian countries, have responded to the obstacles and opportunities which were identified in the preceding volumes of this series. There is an overview chapter and seven case studies of Canadian and American-based businesses.

The studies cover a variety of sectors such as telecommunication, finance, and engineering services. The authors highlight a range of issues that have to be resolved when operating in particular countries. The outcome of the bargaining process on entry into another country, for example, or the approach taken in personnel relations, can be critical to success or failure.

This volume is the third in a series that examines Canada's economic relationships with the countries of East Asia. The purpose of this volume is to illuminate the links among the peoples of the region that Canadians needs to understand when doing business abroad or cooperating with East Asians in North America. The book's six papers examine the role of culture in institutional similarities and differences, both within East Asia and between East Asia and the west, the impact immigrants have on the receiving economy, the role of education and human capital in economic growth, and the role international linkages like trade, investment, cooperation and immigration play in the spread of knowledge.