This book offers a new perspective in studying contemporary development. Part I explores how the ending of the cold war, shifting relations among capitalist powers, changing patterns of finance, and new ideological currents have altered development in four major third-world regions. Part II suggests how development options were molded by the dominant international power in each region: the United States in Latin America, Japan in East and Southeast Asia, and Europe with the international financial institutions in Africa. Part III provides a conceptual framework for analyzing regional performance.

List of tables; List of figures; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: global change, regional response Barbara Stallings; Part I. Global Changes: 2. The Third World and the end of the Cold War Fred Halliday; 3. Capitalisms in conflict? The United States, Europe, and Japan in the post-Cold War world Barbara Stallings and Wolfgang Streeck; 4. Global production systems and Third World development Gary Gereffi; 5. New global financial trends: implications for development Stephany Griffith-Jones and Barbara Stallings; 6. The 'triumph' of liberal economic ideas in the developing world Thomas J. Biersteker; Part II. Regional Responses: 7. The East Asian NICs: a state-led path to the developed world Yun-han Chu; 8. Southeast Asia: success through international openness Linda Y. C. Lim; 9. Latin America: toward a new reliance on the market Augusto Varas; 10. Sub-Saharan Africa: underdevelopment's last stand Michael Chege; Part III. Conclusions: 11. The new international context of development Barbara Stallings.