This book devises an innovative new way of explaining how socioeconomic orders shape capitalism in Asia. Hundt and Uttam go beyond both the ‘varieties of capitalism’ approach, which is mainly used to analyse Western capitalism, and the 'developmental state' thesis, which is the primary framework for analysing capitalism in Asia, and propose a new and innovative approach to the emergence of capitalist systems. Rather than focusing solely or predominantly on the state, they argue, it is necessary to bring society back in to an analysis of capitalism. The authors apply this approach to case studies from across the region: Japan; South Korea and Taiwan; Hong Kong and Singapore; Malaysia and Thailand; and India and China. This volume will appeal to historians, political scientists and economists, as well as policymakers, who are interested in the transformation of the Asian region since World War II.

David Hundt is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Deakin University, in Melbourne, Australia. He has published extensively on international politics and political economy in the Asia–Pacific, and his work has a particular focus on Korean affairs. His is currently undertaking research into the Korean diaspora in Australia.

Jitendra Uttam is an Assistant Professor in Korean Studies at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. His recent publications include a book, The Political Economy of Korea: Transition, Transformation and Turnaround (2014), chapters and papers largely focused on political economy of Asia. He is working on ‘Catch-up Industrialization in Asia’.