Since the doi moi reforms in 1986, Vietnam has experienced a dramatic
socioeconomic
transformation. Lim examines the role of the state and its interaction
with market forces in bringing this change about.
Taking the motorcycle and banking industries as case studies, this book
explores
the dynamics between the state and transnational corporations in shaping
the manufacturing and service sectors, respectively. Vietnam, as one of
Southeast
Asia's quintessential latecomer economies with little prior experience
of
dealing with transnational corporations, has nevertheless been quite
successful
in maintaining some control over the impact of foreign direct
investment. Yet,
the learning outcomes remain highly uneven. In addition, Lim argues that
Vietnamese
advancement in both industries mirrors only partially the more
generalized
patterns of state-led development in East Asia's earlier batch of
latecomer
economies. Vietnam's case thus presents practical lessons on how to
succeed
in crafting and utilizing policy instruments to achieve domestic
economic and
technological upgrading.
This book will be of great interest to scholars of political economy and
industrial
policy in East Asia, as well as to scholars and policy professionals
analyzing
approaches to development strategy more broadly.