Joe Studwell (Get this book)China Economic Quarterly founder Studwell delivers a sometimes-contrarian, sometimes-counterintuitive look at the fortunes of Asia's economies, for better or worse. One of those success stories is Taiwan, which benefits from a tropical climate and the abundant rain and heat that come with it, making the island nation a vast garden as compared to much of neighboring mainland China. By contrast, tropical Philippines is hampered by a land tenure system that concentrates ownership in a few hands, notably an "estranged first cousin" of Corazon Aquino, who had been a former crony of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.The author also examines all of the lessons learned from throughout Asia in the light of how China has fared. A solid blend of the descriptive and the prescriptive, with plenty of lessons that will be of interest to Asia hands, investors and policymakers.--Kirkus
