The dynamics of economic growth : policy insights from comparative analyses in Asia Asia like other continents outside Western Europe and North America was poor and considered a least hope region for breaking the poverty trap in post WWII. However Asia has surprisingly become the most dynamically growing region in the world in the recent decades with extraordinary speed and scale. This book is an insightful study of the root causes and strategic policy framework of Asias development success. It provides convincing analyses to show that other lower income countries can learn useful lessons from Asia to achieve their aspiration for prosperity. The book is a must read for all policy makers and students in the developing world and international development institutions. (Justin Yifu Lin Peking University China and formerly Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank). There are many studies that attempt to explain the rapid rise of the economies of East and South Asia. Only a few of these studies base their analysis on a systematic quantitative comparison of the sources of growth in East and South Asia and none do so with more rigor than this work by Professor Vu Minh Khuong. The study is a major contribution to our understanding of these important economies performance. (Dwight Perkins Harvard Kennedy School US). The astonishing rise of Asia over the past decades is transforming the world economy and changing the balances in global politics. In this book Professor Vu Minh Khuong provides an in depth study of the drivers of growth in sixteen Asian economies based on solid empirical analyses. While successful growth relies heavily on investment technology catch up and openness to trade Professor Vu emphasizes the decisive importance of enlightened leadership that creates a favourable environment for countries to prosper. (Marcel Timmer University of Groningen The Netherlands).