Western enterprise in Indonesia and Malaya :Study in economic development

The authors of Western Enterprise in Far Eastern Economic Development: China and Japan have now offered a description and an analysis of the part played by Western firms and governments in the economic development of Indonesia and Malaya. The period covered by the survey extends from the early decades of the nineteenth century to the nineteen-fifties and the treatment is increasingly detailed as it approaches the present day. Special attention is given to the great changes which have taken place since the Second World War, and the authors venture a forecast as to the prospects for Western enterprise in the future of this region.

The authors examine the various types of Western business undertakings that have parti cipated in the regional development at different periods, and they show that growth has de pended upon constant adaptation to changes in demand and technique in the outside world. The intricate economic relations between Westerners and Asians, and the results of recent changes in those relations, are fully discussed. Much of the information has been obtained from Sirms engaged in business in or with South East Asia.

There emerge as dominant themes, for the pre-war period, the contrasts between Indonesia and Malaya in economic policies, business methods and forms of organization, and, for the post-war period, the disparate changes brought about by the rise of Asian nationalism in the status of Western enterprise in the two countries. The authors also point to compari sons and contrasts with the economic activities of Westerners in the development of China and Japan, the subject of their previous work.