Compressed Development

"...the authors provide a compelling analysis of the ways in which the crisis of Fordism and the rise of the 'network model' of production is central to understand the industrial shaping of the current era of development. The authors are careful in pointing out how this crisis was not simply a crisis of competitiveness driven by the 'Japanese model' of lean production; it was also a social crisis for workers which undermined the social conditions for innovation and productivity across Western Capitalism. In fact, within Western firms, 'lean practices were often applied piecemeal. Reduced in-process inventory and increased monitoring raising productivity and quality were not coupled with employer commitment to job security - required to motivate buy-in from workers - as it was in Japan. * Antonio Andreoni, Development and Change *
The book is an impressive piece of work on globalisation and development that offers a framework for bringing the building major blocks of political economy - states, markets, organisations, and technology - into a mutually constitutive relationship rather than in opposition, all the while accommodating for changes over time. The integrative framework developed is ambitious, and much needed. [The authors pave] the way for studying 'new' national development strategies that are fitting of the 21st century. * Nahee Kang, Journal of Contemporary Asia *
What I like about Compressed Development is its key argument regarding the compressed development era. The argument is convincing, carefully developed, and elucidates the changing relationships between states and markets on the one hand, and organization and technology on the other, across development eras. I also like the way the authors raise and flag key policy challenges for development practitioners. In attempting to integrate several literatures from multiple domains, the book makes a key contribution to development debates, and potentially development practice. The integrative view of development is this book's unique selling proposition. * Sarosh Kuruvilla, Andrew J. Nathanson Family Professor, ILR School, Cornell University, ILR Review *
Compressed Development assesses the dynamic interactions between industrial policy, financialization, organisation, technological innovation, employment and automation. It illuminates the tensions between economic, social and environmental challenges, including climate change, inequality and vulnerability. It provides an analytical and empirical tour de force, which is essential reading for all scholars and policy actors focused on contemporary industrial and technological innovation, global value chains and digital platforms. It comes at a pivotal time for assessing seismic geo-political shifts, reflected in US-China trade and technological conflicts, as well as nationalist campaigns for de-globalisation. It provides an essential exploration of the diverse economic and social counter forces that will influence post-Covid outcomes. * Stephanie Barrientos, Professor of Global Development University of Manchester *
Compressed development used to be seen as a special feature of some exceptionally successful countries in late economic development. This book, while not repudiating such views altogether, convincingly leads us to realize that compressed development has long been a generic mode of transformation embedded in the global ecology of industrial, technological, financial, and demographic relations. Even China's recent 'developmental miracle', among other national cases, is forcefully reinterpreted in respect to the opportunities, resources, and pressures from the specific world-era in which developmental compression is as much a requirement as an achievement. * Chang Kyung-Sup, Professor of Sociology Seoul National University *
Bold in its theoretical ambitions and panoramic in its empirical scope,Compressed Development breaks new ground in its projections of the global dynamics of development. Moving firmly beyond encumbering old schemas, the authors project a vision of the current global matrix of technological and organizational change, mediated by states and markets, in which the evolution of sectors and strategies is compressed, and China becomes the most telling national case. Any scholar hoping to keep pace with the dizzying world of the 21st century global political economy needs to start by confronting the complexities set out in this book. * Peter Evans, Professor Emeritus of Sociology University of California, Berkeley and Senior Research Fellow, Watson Institute for International Studies and Public Affairs *
The tide of globalization, which appeared to be an irresistible force at the turn of the 21st century, splintered into a confusing welter of economic, political and social scenarios in the 2010s.Compressed Development offers a framework that helps explain why the dividing line between early and late developing economies has become blurred, and why the rivalry between the United States and China is likely to define the main features of the global economy in the coming decades. While Compressed Development provides no simple answers about the future of development, it gives countries, companies, civil society organizations and ordinary citizens essential tools needed to navigate the choices and challenges ahead of us. A highly recommended book for decision-makers, scholars and students. * Gary Gereffi, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Director, Center on Global Value Chains Duke University *
The authors coin a new term — 'compressed development' — to shed light on what's new and what's different in the development experience after the 1990s: economic change is taking place both at a much faster rate and in an international context that allows states far less control. They explain why todays' developing countries are facing challenges that are fundamentally different from any in the past. This is a fascinating synthesis of the technological, institutional, and ideological transformations of our era. * Dani Rodrik, Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard University *
Compressed Development is an eye-opener for those of us who study capitalism, globalisation and development. Developing countries have faced intense pressure to 'run faster to stand still', meaning to make institutional changes faster and across a wider range of institutions than the 'late developers' of the post-war decades. The book compares Japan earlier and China more recently, with side analyses of the United States and 'emerging Asia'; and draws in debates about global value chains, the middle-income trap, the developmental state, health and education, financialization, and the digital economy. It concludes that progress in reducing the enormous differences in living conditions across the world's territories depends on navigating through the new dynamics of 'compressed development'. * Robert H. Wade, Professor of Global Political Economy London School of Economics and Political Science *