Founding editor of the China Economic Quarterly from 1997 to 2007 and a founder of Dragonomics; wrote Asian Godfathers, The China Dream and How Asia Works.
How Asia Works argues that Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China grew by sequencing three policies - household-scale land reform, export discipline imposed on manufacturers, and finance directed to both - and explains why Southeast Asian states that skipped the sequence stalled. Asian Godfathers documents how the region's tycoon conglomerates earn returns from licences, property and cheap deposits rather than from operating skill.
3 books of their own · 10 articles
Why some Asian nations grew rich: land reform, export-led industry, directed credit.
“it's a good read for anyone who wants to understand what actually determines whether a developing economy will succeed.” — Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes review of How Asia Works
Recommended by: Bill Gates, Mohnish Pabrai, Patrick Collison
How Southeast Asia's tycoons got rich from political favours, not productivity.
Why foreign investors' hopes of profit in 1990s China were mostly disappointed.
How Asia Works | Why some Asian nations grew rich: land reform, export-led industry, directed credit. | 2013 | T2 | Bill Gates, Mohnish Pabrai, Patrick Collison |
Asian Godfathers | How Southeast Asia's tycoons got rich from political favours, not productivity. | 2007 | T2 | – |
The China Dream | Why foreign investors' hopes of profit in 1990s China were mostly disappointed. | 2002 | T2 | – |
| Caught in a flattering light | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-08-25 |
| Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-08-24 |
| A succinct half-hour podcast | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-08-19 |
| New York Times on China spying on foreigners | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-08-05 |
| Nextier (Nigeria) podcast with video | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-07-29 |
| China beats America | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-07-29 |
| The end of manufacturing thang | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-07-14 |
| The Wire China | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-05-30 |
| Financial Times podcast | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-05-24 |
| Kevin Coldiron’s Top Traders Unplugged podcast | Joe Studwell's blog | 2026-05-13 |