Richard Doner compares Thai economic development with competing nations, revealing how specific political factors shape institutional capacity in each.

Richard Doner received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently Associate Professor of Political Science at Emory University. His previous books include Driving a Bargain: Automobile Industrialization and Japanese Firms in Southeast Asia (1991) and (with David McKendrick and Stephan Haggard) From Silicon Valley to Singapore: Location and Competitive Advantages in the Disk Drive Industry (2000). He co-edited (with Frederick Deyo and Eric Hershberg) Economic Governance and the Challenge of Flexibility in East Asia (2001). He has published numerous book chapters and articles in journals including International Organization, World Politics, Studies in Comparative and International Development, World Development, Journal of East Asian Studies, Journal of Asian Studies, Review of Policy Research, Business and Politics, and Journal of Asian Business. He has also consulted for several corporations and the World Bank on issues having to do with economic development in Southeast Asia.

1. The challenge of uneven development; 2. Puzzles of Thai development in comparative perspective; 3. Development tasks, institutions, and politics; 4. Origins and consequences of Thailand's intermediate states; 5. Sugar; 6. Textiles; 7. Automobiles; 8. Conclusion.