John West 
Asian Century… on a Knife-edge 
A 360 Degree Analysis of Asia’s Recent Economic Development

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.







This book delves into the widely held belief that the 21st century will be the ‘Asian Century’ by examining the Asia’s rapid economic development in the post-war era and the challenges it faces in forging ahead of world leaders in the West.






The impact of the current turbulent global political climate on Asia is critically analyzed, employing a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, combining economic, social, political and geopolitical perspectives. Written in an accessible style, the book offers students, business, government, and civil society players powerful insights on Asia.

Table of Content

Introduction.- 1. Asia’s Stunted Economic Development.- 2. Asia’s Mythical Middle Class Society.- 3. Getting Better Value Out of Global Value Chains.- 4. Making the Most of Urbanisation’s Potential.- 5. Giving All Asians a Chance.- 6. Solving Asia’s Demographic Dilemmas.- 7. Fixing Asia’s Flawed Politics.- 8. Combating Asia’s Economic Crime.- 9. Can Asian Countries Live Together in Peace and Harmony?.- 10. What Next for the Asian Century?

About the author

John West has had a long career in international economics and relations, with major stints at the Australian Treasury as director of balance of payments, OECD as head of public affairs and director OECD Forum, and Asian Development Bank Institute as senior consultant for capacity building and training. He also taught globalization at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris. John is now adjunct professor at Tokyo’s Sophia University, contributing editor at FDI-Intelligence, a Financial Times magazine, and executive director of the Asian Century Institute.