Born in the British Straits Settlement of Malacca in 1932, Lim Chong Yah was awarded a Malacca Settlement Scholarship to study Economics at the University of Malaya, then located in Singapore. Later, he won a British Commonwealth Scholarship to read Economics at the University of Oxford, where he obtained his doctorate. He taught Economics at the University of Malaya (in Kuala Lumpur), where he became the first Head of the Division of Applied Economics. Subsequently he was Reader and later Professor and Senior Professor of Economics at the University of Singapore (later renamed the National University of Singapore), where he was also Head of the Department. He is currently Professor of Economics at the Nanyang Technological University and Emeritus Professor at the National University of Singapore. For his eminent scholarship and outstanding public service, Prof Lim has received many distinguished awards, including The Distinguished Service Award by the National Trades Union Congress in 1999 and The Distinguished Service Order (Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang) by the Singapore Government in 2000. There is also a professorship under his name, established by the National University of Singapore. He was conferred the Doctor Honoris Causa by Soka University in Japan, awarded an Honorary Professorship by Hainan University, and appointed Honorary Chairman of the Hainan University Council by the Provincial Government of Hainan. Indiana University conferred on him the John W Ryan Alumni Award for "Distinguished Contribution to International Education".

"Professor Lim has drawn on his vast experience as teacher and high-level policy adviser in Singapore to offer us an extremely lively and informative volume. He comprehensively surveys the historical record and future prospects of a group of countries whose remarkable growth record offers many lessons for the theory and practice of development economics. Equally, he offers valuable insights into the reasons why this group has recently faltered, but also why there are solid signs of recovery for some of them. An added bonus are Professor Lim's engaging style of writing and his helpful 'discussion guides' to each chapter. This is going to be a great book for me in my new MSc course on 'China and the Pacific Rim'."Professor Roger SandilandsProfessor of EconomicsUniversity of StrathclydeGlasgow, United Kingdom"Students, scholars, and policymakers involved with Southeast Asia's economic development owe a large debt of gratitude to Professor Lim Chong Yah for sharing his life-long scholarship and many insights on economic and public policies in this comprehensive and accessible textbook. It is arguably the best introduction available in the market today concerning Southeast Asia economies and directions they may consider in addressing the challenges of the 21st century."Professor Mukul AsherProfessor of EconomicsPublic Policy ProgrammeNational University of Singapore"This certainly is a remarkable book on a region of considerable strategic importance. What makes this volume so remarkable is the width of coverage and depth of insights that can only come with years of relentless pursuit in the name of empirical enquiry."Professor Mohamed AriffExecutive DirectorMalaysian Institute of Economic Research (Mier)"From his base in Singapore, Lim Chong Yah has been a leading international figure in the economics profession of Southeast Asia for several decades. This book shows why ... Professor Lim writes on a broad canvas, but with great attention to detail and much insight. He combines clarity of expression with an authoritative style and deep country knowledge. Scholars, students, government officials and business people -- indeed, anybody with an interest in this fascinating part of the world -- will want to have this book on their shelves. It will certainly be required reading for my class."Professor Hal HillH W Arndt Professor of Southeast Asian EconomiesAustralian National University"Professor Lim has written a superb volume, one that is a 'capstone' to his extraordinary career as a scholar and public person. My students at the University of Hawaii enjoyed the first edition of the book immensely. They found it to be readable, content-laden and extremely useful particularly because they were fairly new readers of scholarship on Southeast Asia. However, Professor Lim's volume clearly is aimed at a broad readership including advanced scholars from economics and related disciplines. His choice of topics and the manner by which he treats them elevates his book to the 'must read' list of scholars and policy makers whose intellectual interests include Southeast Asia's future."Professor Robert L Curry, JrEmeritus Professor of Economics California State University Sacramento and Visiting LecturerUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa"This is the best and ideal textbook on Southeast Asian (or ASEAN) Economies. To learn or teach about ASEAN economies is very important to the understanding of East Asia, which is an essential pillar in the trilateral leading groups of nations in the world, along with EU and NAFTA. ASEAN is crucial to the East Asian grouping. This is an up-to-date book, covering current and topical economic issues like regionalism as well as the 1997/98 financial crisis. All ten countries of ASEAN are covered, from the basic fundamentals of each country to the complicated problems of international competition and complementarity in East Asia including Japan and China. The book is recommendable to students, businessmen and intellectuals living or working in Southeast Asia."Professor Shinichi IchimuraFormer President and Founder, East Asian Economic AssociationEmeritus Professor of EconomicsKyoto University"The strong point of the book is the way the author combines economic theory with examples of ASEAN ... The book seriously attempts to offer a holistic view of ASEAN; the author provides a detailed overview of Southeast Asia and also explains the risks and opportunities confronting the region in the future."ASIEN"... a real strength of the book is that Lim Chong Yah is both a technically competent academic economist and a genuine long-time participant in the policy evolution of the area ... Overall, this is a solid effort. The book could be used as a textbook at many levels for a course on the economies of Southeast Asia or as supplementary reading in a development course. The book is not technically challenging, and there is just the right blend of data and theory so that the reader is left with a substantive framework for understanding the region's economy. Beyond the classroom, the book would be valuable to policy-makers or anyone else generally interested in the economics of one of the more fascinating regions of the world."Journal of Asian Business

Born in the British Straits Settlement of Malacca in 1932, Lim Chong Yah was awarded a Malacca Settlement Scholarship to study Economics at the University of Malaya, then located in Singapore. Later, he won a British Commonwealth Scholarship to read Economics at the University of Oxford, where he obtained his doctorate. He taught Economics at the University of Malaya (in Kuala Lumpur), where he became the first Head of the Division of Applied Economics. Subsequently he was Reader and later Professor and Senior Professor of Economics at the University of Singapore (later renamed the National University of Singapore), where he was also Head of the Department. He is currently Professor of Economics at the Nanyang Technological University and Emeritus Professor at the National University of Singapore. For his eminent scholarship and outstanding public service, Prof Lim has received many distinguished awards, including The Distinguished Service Award by the National Trades Union Congress in 1999 and The Distinguished Service Order (Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang) by the Singapore Government in 2000. There is also a professorship under his name, established by the National University of Singapore. He was conferred the Doctor Honoris Causa by Soka University in Japan, awarded an Honorary Professorship by Hainan University, and appointed Honorary Chairman of the Hainan University Council by the Provincial Government of Hainan. Indiana University conferred on him the John W Ryan Alumni Award for "Distinguished Contribution to International Education".

"Professor Lim has drawn on his vast experience as teacher and high-level policy adviser in Singapore to offer us an extremely lively and informative volume. He comprehensively surveys the historical record and future prospects of a group of countries whose remarkable growth record offers many lessons for the theory and practice of development economics. Equally, he offers valuable insights into the reasons why this group has recently faltered, but also why there are solid signs of recovery for some of them. An added bonus are Professor Lim's engaging style of writing and his helpful 'discussion guides' to each chapter. This is going to be a great book for me in my new MSc course on 'China and the Pacific Rim'."Professor Roger SandilandsProfessor of EconomicsUniversity of StrathclydeGlasgow, United Kingdom"Students, scholars, and policymakers involved with Southeast Asia's economic development owe a large debt of gratitude to Professor Lim Chong Yah for sharing his life-long scholarship and many insights on economic and public policies in this comprehensive and accessible textbook. It is arguably the best introduction available in the market today concerning Southeast Asia economies and directions they may consider in addressing the challenges of the 21st century."Professor Mukul AsherProfessor of EconomicsPublic Policy ProgrammeNational University of Singapore"This certainly is a remarkable book on a region of considerable strategic importance. What makes this volume so remarkable is the width of coverage and depth of insights that can only come with years of relentless pursuit in the name of empirical enquiry."Professor Mohamed AriffExecutive DirectorMalaysian Institute of Economic Research (Mier)"From his base in Singapore, Lim Chong Yah has been a leading international figure in the economics profession of Southeast Asia for several decades. This book shows why ... Professor Lim writes on a broad canvas, but with great attention to detail and much insight. He combines clarity of expression with an authoritative style and deep country knowledge. Scholars, students, government officials and business people -- indeed, anybody with an interest in this fascinating part of the world -- will want to have this book on their shelves. It will certainly be required reading for my class."Professor Hal HillH W Arndt Professor of Southeast Asian EconomiesAustralian National University"Professor Lim has written a superb volume, one that is a 'capstone' to his extraordinary career as a scholar and public person. My students at the University of Hawaii enjoyed the first edition of the book immensely. They found it to be readable, content-laden and extremely useful particularly because they were fairly new readers of scholarship on Southeast Asia. However, Professor Lim's volume clearly is aimed at a broad readership including advanced scholars from economics and related disciplines. His choice of topics and the manner by which he treats them elevates his book to the 'must read' list of scholars and policy makers whose intellectual interests include Southeast Asia's future."Professor Robert L Curry, JrEmeritus Professor of Economics California State University Sacramento and Visiting LecturerUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa"This is the best and ideal textbook on Southeast Asian (or ASEAN) Economies. To learn or teach about ASEAN economies is very important to the understanding of East Asia, which is an essential pillar in the trilateral leading groups of nations in the world, along with EU and NAFTA. ASEAN is crucial to the East Asian grouping. This is an up-to-date book, covering current and topical economic issues like regionalism as well as the 1997/98 financial crisis. All ten countries of ASEAN are covered, from the basic fundamentals of each country to the complicated problems of international competition and complementarity in East Asia including Japan and China. The book is recommendable to students, businessmen and intellectuals living or working in Southeast Asia."Professor Shinichi IchimuraFormer President and Founder, East Asian Economic AssociationEmeritus Professor of EconomicsKyoto University"The strong point of the book is the way the author combines economic theory with examples of ASEAN ... The book seriously attempts to offer a holistic view of ASEAN; the author provides a detailed overview of Southeast Asia and also explains the risks and opportunities confronting the region in the future."ASIEN"... a real strength of the book is that Lim Chong Yah is both a technically competent academic economist and a genuine long-time participant in the policy evolution of the area ... Overall, this is a solid effort. The book could be used as a textbook at many levels for a course on the economies of Southeast Asia or as supplementary reading in a development course. The book is not technically challenging, and there is just the right blend of data and theory so that the reader is left with a substantive framework for understanding the region's economy. Beyond the classroom, the book would be valuable to policy-makers or anyone else generally interested in the economics of one of the more fascinating regions of the world."Journal of Asian Business