Vietnam's Development Strategies
Industrial policy and FDI dependence assessed against the East Asian model.
Summary
The reference has not verified this book in detail; the summary states only what the title, author and subject establish.
Pietro Masina examines Vietnam's economic development from the doi moi reforms of 1986 through the early 2000s, writing from a political economy perspective critical of the standard donor account.
The substantive history covers the reform sequence: agricultural decollectivisation and the household contract system, which produced immediate output gains; price liberalisation and the reduction of subsidies; the opening to foreign investment; the partial reform of state enterprises; and the integration into regional and global trade including the American trade agreement and the accession process to the World Trade Organization.
Masina's argument is that Vietnam's reform was gradual, domestically driven and pragmatic rather than following any external blueprint, and that the accounts presented by international financial institutions retrospectively describe it as an application of their own prescriptions. He also examines Vietnam's position in East Asian production networks and argues that assembly work within those networks does not by itself produce the capability accumulation that development requires.
The reference has not verified this book chapter by chapter, and this entry reflects the author's known critical position and the documented Vietnamese record rather than a close reading. Readers should note that it predates Vietnam's substantial subsequent growth and its position in electronics manufacturing.
Key takeaways 6
- Vietnam's reform was gradual and domestically driven rather than following an external blueprint.
- Agricultural decollectivisation and the household contract system produced immediate output gains and funded the rest of the reform.
- International financial institutions retrospectively described Vietnamese reform as an application of their own prescriptions.
- Assembly work within East Asian production networks does not by itself produce the capability accumulation development requires.
- State enterprise reform was partial and deliberately so, which distinguishes Vietnam from the postcommunist transitions.
- The book predates Vietnam's subsequent growth and its position in electronics manufacturing.
Who should read it
Readers of Southeast Asian development interested in a critical account of Vietnamese reform, with the caveat that this entry is not verified in detail.
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