Liberalisation and industrial development in the third world: a comparison of the Indian and South Korean engineering industrial

One of the dominant debates concerning Industrial policy in the Third World relates to the role of liberalisation in improving industrial performance. This book is a timely conceptual and empirical contribution to this discussion. Using unique firm-level data from the engineering industries in India and South Korea, it charts the evolution of firms and industries during the liberalisation process which took place in both countries in the eighties.
After a detailed description of the changing policy frameworks in both countries, four extensive case studies are presented. These case studies are blended with the results of a number of other case studies to yield an analysis of a variety of phenomena such as the nature of 'infancy, the evolution of entry barriers to international industry, and the role of previous policy regimes in the accumulation of competitive capabilities. By choosing contrasting case studies of the effects of liberalisation on industrial performance, this book draws lessons on the nature, timing and extent of state intervention required to foster Internationally competitive firms in developing countries
Blending management science, industrial economics and development economics, this book will interest a broad range of readers-economists, political scientists, management experts, and industrialists. It will also be of interest to policy-makers in developing countries as well as to international organisations and aid agencies.