Asian tigers

Asian tigers

After half a century of success, the Asian tigers must reinvent themselves

They must move from growth-obsessed developmental states, to growth-friendly welfare states, say Simon Rabinovitch and Simon Cox

Global trade

It has become harder for the Asian tigers to prosper through exports

The trade war has not helped, either

Innovation

Asian-tiger governments are steering their economies with a lighter touch

They are still involved but more big decisions are made in the boardroom

Discontent

Social unrest in places like Hong Kong is not proof of economic failure

Quite the oppposite, in fact

Political economies

Does democracy hurt or help growth in the tiger economies of Asia?

It can be a little of both

Demography

Will age weaken the Asian tiger economies?

Shorter working weeks and longer working lives may be necessary

The tigers’ future

Where do the Asian tiger economies go from here?

Most of all they want to avoid Japan’s elegant stagnation

Acknowledgments