Van der Eng, P., Economic History of Southeast Asia
Economic History of Southeast Asia
The Australian National University
Faculty of Economics and Commerce
Department of Economic History
Emerging Southeast Asia:
The Economic Rise of AustraliaÕs Neighbours
(ECHI2108 and ECHI2118)
Second Semester 1997 Dr Pierre van der Eng
Lectures in CRISP G007 Room 2094, Copland building
Monday 13.00-14.00 email: pierre.vandereng@anu.edu.au
Thursday 12.00-13.00 Tel. (06) 249 5438 (voicemail)
Fax (06) 249 5792
http//beatbox.anu.edu.au/faculty/departments/ecohist
1. Outline
Most of AustraliaÕs neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia
have experienced dramatic economic change during the last few
decades. There is no unanimity about the causes of this
Ôeconomic miracleÕ, despite widespread academic debate in
recent years. There is also no agreement on why such miracles
did not occur at an earlier stage. This unit aims to
introduce students to key topics in the economic history of
Southeast Asia, putting the rapid changes of recent decades
in a long-term perspective reaching back into the 19th
century.
Discussing Southeast Asia as a region may suggest that all
countries shared the same experience. These countries may now
increasingly identify themselves as a global region, but
there have always been major dissimilarities. Today the
region comprises countries at different stages of
development. Burma and the countries of former Indochina
(Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) are among the poorest in the
world, while average income in Singapore exceeds that of
Australia. Recent economic growth has been formidable in
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, but poor in the
Philippines. Such differences are actually a good reason to
discuss Southeast Asia as a region, because contrasting
experiences help to identify the fundamental factors which
underlie economic development or the absence of such change
in the past.
2. Requirements
Economics 1 or Economics for Social Scientists. Students can
be admitted at the discretion of the head of the Department
of Economic History. Although economic history is an
interdisciplinary field of study, with close relationships to
e.g. history, economics, politics, geography and demography,
no prior knowledge of these disciplines is required.
You are expected to attend lectures and tutorials, which
generally cover different subjects. You will also make one
tutorial presentation, submit an essay and sit a written
examination at the end of the unit. The proposed assessment
is 50% examination, 40% essay, 5% tutorial presentation and
5% tutorial attendance and participation.
The publications listed in this outline form the starting
point for the study of individual topics. You are not
expected to rely on these works only. You should try to
READ WIDELY during the unit, especially when preparing essays.
3. Relation to ÔSouth-East Asian Economic Policy and
DevelopmentÕ
There are some major differences between this unit and South-
East Asian Economic Policy and Development, taught by Dr Hal
Hill in the Department of Economics. For instance, this unit
is not restricted to Singapore and the ASEAN-4, covers
economic change since the mid-19th century, and analyses
interdisciplinary aspects of economic development.
Students who go on to do South-East Asian Economic Policy and
Development will find that it provides an exciting in-depth
elaboration of current issues which can only be discussed in
brief during this unit.
4. Lectures
1. 21 July Introduction to the unit
2. 24 July Southeast Asia before 1800
3. 28 July Population growth and population density
4. 31 July Subsistence agriculture
5. 4 August Economic growth and structural change
6. 7 August Choice of technology in agricultural production
7. 11 August The pre-war rice economy
8. 14 August Labour supply and migration
9. 18 August Pre-war international trade: structure and
growth
10. 21 August Primary commodities, the terms-of-trade
debate
11. 25 August Foreign investment and Ôcolonial drainÕ
12. 28 August Transport and market integration
13. 1 September The establishment of monetary systems
14. 4 September The development of financial systems
15. 8 September Fiscal policies: A quest for revenues
16. 11 September The changing mandate of governments
17. 15 September The role of the Chinese
18. 18 September The impact of the international crisis in
the 1930s
19. 9 October The Japanese occupation (1941-45) in long-
term perspective
20. 13 October Economic nationalism, import-substituting
industrialisation
21. 16 October The Ôgreen revolutionÕ in rice agriculture
22. 20 October Dimensions of recent rapid growth in ASEAN
23. 23 October ASEAN and the ÔEast Asian modelÕ of
development
24. 27 October Changes in income distribution
25. 30 October Australia and Southeast Asia
5. Reading for Lectures
The recommended reading for the unit is: Ian Brown (1997)
Economic Change in South-East Asia, c.1830-1980. Kuala
Lumpur: Oxford UP (hardback, $55.-). This book is not
compulsory. Students can purchase a reader, which contains
the essential minimum reading for the unit. A total fee of
$30 is payable for photocopied materials for this unit, which
includes the brick and additional material handed out at
lectures and tutorials. The brick can be obtained from the
administrator of the Department of Economic History (Copland
building, room 2098). The brick is also placed in the reserve
section of the Chifley library.
If you are not familiar with the countries in the region, you
should read a concise history of the area before starting the
unit. Section 10.1 contains several introductory textbooks,
of which Osborne (1990, or later edition) is recommended.
The lectures will discuss specific topics relevant to
understanding long-term economic change, or the absence
thereof, in Southeast Asia. These topics have not all been
studied for all countries in the region, certainly not in a
comparative perspective. Several of the articles in the
reader will therefore introduce you to a general topic, or a
topic for one particular country only. The respective lecture
will discuss the topic, using handouts containing information
on other countries.
Spare copies of all hand-outs for the unit will be kept in a
designated filing cabinet outside the office of the
departmental administrator. Please file your copies carefully
and do not take more than one copy of any handout. Lectures
will be taped. Tapes and lecture notes are available from
ChifleyÕs library reserve section.
All items marked with (* ) in the reading lists for lectures
and tutorials are compulsory reading for the examination and
the tutorials and are contained in the reading brick. All
items marked with (*) and (-) are additional reading. The
mark (*) indicates that the item has been placed in the
library-reserve at Chifley. You may wish to study the
additional reading, if you intend to write an essay on the
subject (see section 7). The list is NOT exhaustive. Section
10 provides further general references for each of the
countries in the region, which you can use to uncover other
sources.
1. 21 July Introduction
* Booth, A. (1991) ÔThe Economic Development of Southeast
Asia: 1870-1985Õ, Australian Economic History Review, 31,
No.1, pp.20-52.
2. 24 July Southeast Asia before 1800
* Kirk, W. (1990) ÔSouth East Asia in the Colonial Period:
Cores and Peripheries in Development ProcessesÕ in Dwyer,
D.J. (ed.) (1990) South East Asian Development: Geographical
Perspectives. (Burnt Mill: Longman) pp.15-47.
- Reid, A.J.S. (1992) ÔEconomic and Social Change, c.1400-
1800Õ in N. Tarling (ed.) The Cambridge History of Southeast
Asia. Volume 1: From Early Times to c.1800. (Cambridge:
Cambridge UP) pp.460-507. Menzies DS525.T37
3. 28 July Population growth and population density
* Zelinsky, W. (1950) ÔThe Indochinese Peninsula: A
Demographic AnomalyÕ, Far Eastern Quarterly, 9, pp.115-145.
* Owen, N.G. (1987) ÔThe Paradox of Nineteenth-Century
Population Growth in Southeast Asia: Evidence from Java and
the PhilippinesÕ, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 18,
pp.45-57.
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) chapter 6. Chifley
reserve HC441.B75
- Hirschman, Ch. (1994) ÔPopulation and Society in
Twentieth-Century Southeast AsiaÕ, Journal of Southeast Asian
Studies, 25, pp.381-416. Menzies 6DS501.J62
4. 31 July Subsistence agriculture
* Hill, R.D. (1979) ÔTribal and Peasant AgricultureÕ in R.D.
Hill (ed.) South East Asia: A Systematic Geography. (Kuala
Lumpur: Oxford UP) pp.78-102.
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) chapter 8. Chifley
reserve HC441.B75
- Ellis, F. (1988) ÔPeasantsÕ in Peasant Economics: Farm
Households and Agrarian Development. (Cambridge: Cambridge
UP) pp.3-16. Chifley HD1542.E43
5. 4 August Economic growth and structural change
* Grigg, D. (1975) ÔThe WorldÕs Agricultural Labour Force,
1800-1970Õ, Geography, 60, pp.194-202.
* Maddison, A. (1994) ÔExplaining the Economic Performance
of Nations, 1820-1989Õ in W.J. Baumol et al. (eds.)
Convergence of Productivity: Cross-National Studies and
Historical Evidence. (New York: Oxford UP) pp.20-39.
6. 7 August Choice of technology in agricultural production
* Van der Eng, P. (1992) ÔFood Supply and Agricultural
DevelopmentÕ in W. Ivens (ed.) World Food Production.
(Heerlen: Open Universiteit, 1992) pp.89-115.
7. 11 August The pre-war Asian rice economy
* Siamwalla, A. (1972) ÔLand, Labour and Capital in Three
Rice-Growing Deltas of Southeast Asia 1800-1940.Õ Economic
Growth Center Discussion Paper No.150. New Haven: Yale
University.
* Latham, A.J.H. (1988) ÔFrom Competition to Constraint: The
International Rice Trade in the 19th and 20th CenturiesÕ,
Business and Economic History, 17, pp.91-102.
- Coclanis, P.A. (1993) ÔSoutheast AsiaÕs Incorporation into
the World Rice Market: A Revisionist ViewÕ, Journal of
Southeast Asian Studies, 24, pp.251-267. Menzies 6DS501.J62
8. 14 August Labour supply and migration
* Latham, A.J.H. (1986) ÔSoutheast Asia: A Preliminary
Survey, 1800-1914Õ in L. de Rosa and I.A. Glazier (eds.)
Migration across Time and Nations: Population Mobility and
Historical Contexts. (New York: Holmes and Meier) pp.11-29.
* Feeny, D. (1993) ÔThe Demise of CorvŽe Labour and Slavery
in Thailand, 1832-1913Õ in M. Klein (ed.) Breaking the
Chains: Slavery, Bondage and Emancipation in Modern Africa
and Asia. (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press) pp.64-82.
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) chapters 3 and 11.
Chifley reserve HC441.B75
- Pillai, P.P. (ed.) (1947) Labour in South East Asia: A
Symposium. New Delhi: Indian Council of World Affairs.
Chifley HD8666.P5
9. 18 August Pre-war international trade: structure and
growth
* Wong Lin Ken (1978) ÔSingapore: Its Growth as an Entrepot
Port, 1819-1941Õ, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 9,
pp.50-84.
- Booth, A. (1992) ÔInternational Trade and Domestic
Economic Development: An Indonesian Case StudyÕ in M. Arsjad
Anwar et al. (eds.) Pemerikan, Pelaksanaan dan Perintisan
Pembangunan Ekonomi. (Jakarta: Gramedia) pp.99-152. Menzies
OS 1864546
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) chapter 2. Chifley
reserve HC441.B75
- Castro, A.A. (1965) ÔPhilippine-American Tariff and Trade
Relations, 1898-1954Õ, Philippine Economic Journal, 4, pp.29-
56. Chifley 6HC6.P6P6
- OÕBrien, P.K. (1984) ÔThe Third World in the International
Economy, 1850-1950: Some Historical PerspectivesÕ, Rivista di
Storia Economica, 1, pp.144-178. ANL S330.5 RIV
10. 21 August Primary commodities, the terms-of-trade
debate
* Booth, A. (1990) ÔForeign Trade and Domestic Development
in the Colonial EconomyÕ in A. Booth et al. (eds.) Indonesian
Economic History in the Dutch Colonial Era. (New Haven: Yale
Southeast Asia Studies) pp.267-295.
- Diakosavvas, D. and P.L. Scandizzo (1991) ÔTrends in the
Terms of Trade of Primary Commodities, 1900-1982: The
Controversy and Its OriginsÕ, Economic Development and
Cultural Change, 39, pp.231-264. Chifley 6HC10.E24
11. 25 August Foreign investment and Ôcolonial drainÕ
* Golay, F.H. (1976) ÔSoutheast Asia: The "Colonial Drain"
RevisitedÕ in C.D. Cowan and O.W. Wolters (eds.) Southeast
Asian History and Historiography. (Ithaca: Cornell UP)
pp.368-387.
- Lebergott, S. (1980) ÔThe Returns to U.S. Imperialism,
1890-1929Õ, Journal of Economic History, 40, pp.229-252.
Chifley 6HC10.J68
- Van der Eng, P. (1993) ÔThe "Colonial Drain" from
Indonesia, 1823-1990.Õ Research School of Pacific Studies,
Economics Division Working Paper Southeast Asia No.93/2.
Canberra: ANU. Chifley 6HC10.E327 No.93/2
12. 28 August Transport and market integration
* Dick, H.W. and P.J. Rimmer (1992) ÔThe Diffusion of Modern
Transport and Communications Technologies in Southeast Asia.Õ
Unpublished paper.
- Corpuz, A.G. (1989) Railroads and Regional Development in
the Philippines: Views from the Colonial Iron Horse 1875-
1935. PhD thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca. Chifley
HE3348.C67
* Dick, H.W. (1990) ÔInterisland Trade, Economic
Integration, and the Emergence of the National EconomyÕ in A.
Booth et al. (eds.) Indonesian Economic History in the Dutch
Colonial Era. (New Haven: Yale Southeast Asia Studies)
pp.296-321. Chifley reserve HC447.I53
- Holm, D.F. (1977) The Role of the State Railways in Thai
History, 1892-1932. PhD thesis, Yale University, New Haven.
Chifley HE3389.T4.H64
- Kaur, A. (1985) Bridge and Barrier: Transport and
Communications in Colonial Malaysia, 1870-1957. Oxford:
Oxford UP. Chifley HE273.6.A2.K38
13. 1 September The establishment of monetary systems
* Van der Eng, P. (1993) ÔThe Silver Standard and AsiaÕs
Integration into the World Economy, 1850-1914.Õ Working
Papers in Economic History No.175. Canberra: ANU.
- Klein, P.W. (1990) ÔDutch Monetary Policy in the East
Indies 1602-1942: A Case of Changing ContinuityÕ in E.H.G.
van Cauwenberghe (ed.) Money, Coins and Commerce. (Leuven:
Leuven UP) pp.419-453. Chifley HG231.M65
14. 4 September The development of financial systems
* Van Laanen, J.T.M. (1990) ÔBetween the Java Bank and the
Chinese Moneylender: Ban king and Credit in Colonial
IndonesiaÕ in A. Booth et al. (eds.) Indonesian Economic
History in the Dutch Colonial Era. (New Haven: Yale Southeast
Asia Studies) pp.244-66.
- Lee Sheng-yi (1986) The Monetary and Banking Development
of Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore: Singapore University
Press. Chifley HG1250.6.C4
- Patrick, H.T. (1965/66) ÔFinancial Development and
Economic Growth in Underdeveloped CountriesÕ, Economic
Development and Cultural Change, 14, pp.174-189. Chifley
6HC10.E24
15. 8 September Fiscal policies: A quest for revenues
* Golay, F.H. (1984) ÔThe Search for RevenuesÕ in P.W.
Stanley (ed.) Reappraising an Empire: New Perspectives on
Philippine-American History. (Cambridge: Harvard UP) pp.231-
260.
- Hlaing, U Aye (1973) ÔPublic Finance and Public Policy in
Burma, 1870-1940Õ, Journal of the Burma Research Society, 56,
pp.1-29. Menzies 6DS527.B87
16. 11 September The changing mandate of governments
* Booth, A. (1990) ÔThe Evolution of Fiscal Policy and the
Role of the Government in the Colonial EconomyÕ in A. Booth
et al. (eds.) Indonesian Economic History in the Dutch
Colonial Era. (New Haven: Yale Southeast Asia Studies)
pp.210-243.
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) chapter 12. Chifley
reserve HC441.B75
17. 15 September The role of the Chinese
* Somers-Heidhues, M.F. (1974) ÔChinese in Southeast Asian
Economic Life: The Commercial ManÕ in Southeast AsiaÕs
Chinese Minorities. (Hawthorn: Longman) pp.8-29.
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) chapter 13. Chifley
reserve HC441.B75
* DFAT (1995) Overseas Chinese Business Networks in Asia.
Canberra: East Asia Analytical Unit, DFAT. Chifley reserve
2023408 (new books)
- Mackie, J.A.C. (1992), ÔOverseas Chinese
EntrepreneurshipÕ, Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, 6,
No.1, pp.41-64. Chifley 6HC10.A77
18. 18 September The impact of the international crisis in
the 1930s
* Brown, I. (1997) ÔThe Inter-War CrisisÕ in Economic Change
in South-East Asia, c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP)
pp.216-229.
- Brown, I. (1986) ÔRural Distress in South East Asia during
the World Depression of the Early 1930sÕ, Journal of Asian
Studies, 5, pp.995-1025.
- Goswami, O. (1986) ÔThe Depression, 1930-1935: Its Effects
on India and IndonesiaÕ, Itinerario, 10, No.1, pp.163-176.
Menzies 6JV2.I7
- Owen, N.G. (1989) ÔSubsistence in the Slump: Agricultural
Adjustment in the Provincial PhilippinesÕ in I. Brown (ed.)
The Economies of Africa and Asia in the Inter-War Depression.
(London: Routledge) pp.95-114. Chifley HC800.E3
19. 9 October The Japanese occupation (1941-45) in long-
term perspective
* Brown, I. (1994) ÔSome Closing RemarksÕ in S. Sugiyama and
M.C. Guerrero (eds.), International Commercial Rivalry in
Southeast Asia in the Interwar Period. (New Haven: Yale
Southeast Asia Studies) pp.214-222.
- Bui Minh Dung (1995) ÔJapanÕs Role in the Vietnamese
Starvation of 1944-45Õ, Modern Asian Studies, 29, pp.573-618.
Menzies 6DS1.M6
- Marshall, J. (1995) To Have or Have Not: Southeast Asian
Raw Materials and the Origin of the Pacific War. Berkeley:
University of California Press. Chifley D741.M275
- Post, P. (1993) ÔJapan and the Integration of the
Netherlands East Indies into the World Economy, 1868-1942Õ,
Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, 27, pp.134-165.
- Sato, S. (1994) War, Nationalism and Peasants: Java under
the Japanese Occupation. Sydney: Allen and Unwin. Menzies
DS646.27.S35
- Swan, W.L. (1986) ÔJapanese Economic Activities in SiamÕ,
South East Asian Review, 12, pp.1-133. Menzies 6DS501.S588
20. 13 October Economic nationalism, import-substituting
industrialisation
* Myint, H. (1967) ÔThe Inward and Outward Looking Countries
of Southeast AsiaÕ, Malayan Economic Review, 12, pp.1-13.
* Golay, F. et al. (1969) ÔEconomic Nationalism in Southeast
AsiaÕ in Underdevelopment and Economic Nationalism in
Southeast Asia. (Ithaca: Cornell UP) pp.1-20.
- Myint, H. (1972) ÔSoutheast AsiaÕs Economy before 1970Õ in
Southeast AsiaÕs Economy. Development Policies in the 1970s.
(London: Penguin) pp.23-41. Chifley HC412.H55
- Paauw, D. (1963) ÔEconomic Progress in Southeast AsiaÕ,
Journal of Asian Studies, 23, pp.69-92. Menzies 6DS1.M6
21. 16 October The Ôgreen revolutionÕ in rice agriculture
* Grigg, J. (1991) ÔRice Cultivation, the Green Revolution
and Agrarian ChangeÕ in Southeast Asia: A Region in
Transition. (London: Unwin Hyman) pp.33-56.
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) chapter 16. Chifley
reserve HC441.B75
- Jayasuriya, S.K. and R.T. Shand (1986) ÔTechnical Change
and Labor Absorption in Asian Agriculture: Some Emerging
TrendsÕ, World Development, 14, pp.415-428. Chifley 6HC10.W56
22. 20 October Dimensions of recent rapid growth in ASEAN
* Hill, H. (1994) ÔASEAN Economic Development: An Analytical
Survey - The State of the FieldÕ, Journal of Asian Studies,
53, pp.832-866.
23. 23 October ASEAN and the ÔEast Asian modelÕ of
development
* Smith, H. (1995) ÔIndustry Policy in East AsiaÕ, Asian-
Pacific Economic Literature, 9, No.1, pp.17-39.
- MacIntyre, A. (1994) ÔBusiness, government and
development: Northeast and Southeast Asian comparisonsÕ in A.
MacIntyre (ed.) Business and Govern ment in Industrialising
Asia. (Ithaca: Cornell UP) pp.1-28. Chifley HF1591.B87
24. 27 October Changes in income distribution
* Oshima, H.T. (1994) ÔThe Impact of Technological
Transformation on Historical Trends in Income Distribution of
Asia and the WestÕ, The Developing Economies, 32, pp.237-255.
- Bhanoji Rao, V.V. (1986) ÔIncome Distribution in East
Asian Developing CountriesÕ, Asian-Pacific Economic
Literature, 2, pp.26-45. Chifley 6HC10.A77
- Krongkaew, M. (1994) ÔIncome Distribution in East Asian
Developing Countries: An UpdateÕ, Asian-Pacific Economic
Literature, 8, No.2, pp.58-73. Chifley 6HC10.A77
25. 30 October Australia and Southeast Asia
* Arndt, H.W. (1968) ÔTrade Relations between Australia and
IndonesiaÕ in Australia and Asia: Economic Essays. (Canberra:
ANU Press) pp.31-52.
- Arndt, H.W. (1980) ÔEconomic Relations between Australia
and IndonesiaÕ in J.A.C. Mackie (ed.) Indonesia: The Making
of a Nation. (Canberra: ANU Press) pp.741-754. Menzies
DS615.I5
- Fynmore, R. and H. Hill (1993) ÔOverviewÕ in AustraliaÕs
Business Challenge. South-East Asia in the 1990s. (Canberra:
East Asia Analytical Unit, DFAT) pp.xix-xlix. Chifley
HF3948.A5A87
- Tweedie, S. (1994) Trading Partners: Australia & Asia
1790-1993. Sydney: UNSW Press) chapters 1-6 and 9. Chifley
HF3948.A78T93
6. Tutorials
During the first week you are expected to sign up for a
tutorial group of your choice on lists on the designated
noticeboard in the Department of Economic History corridor.
During this week you will also select a topic for a tutorial
presentation to your tutorial group from the list below. You
will nominate your topic during the first tutorial in the
second week of the semester.
The tutorials serve two purposes. Firstly, to discuss
tutorial questions about the reading and the lectures of the
previous week. These questions will be handed out a week in
advance. Secondly, to discuss an article on an aspect of the
economic development of Southeast Asia, listed below. One
student or a group of students will critically assess the
article. Two or three students can share a presentation,
provided they work together to structure the presentation.
The presentations have to be succinct, to the point and last
at most 15 minutes. They will be fol lowed by discussion. The
items marked (* ) are the essential minimum reading for
anyone attending the tutorial and can be found in the reading
brick.
A presentation may contain data in tabulated or graphic form
if it enhances the general argument, provided that
photocopies of tables and graphs are distributed to the group
before the presentation.
The paper will be largely assessed on oral presentation, but
the notes (up to 1,000 words) have to be handed in as well.
These will be used to provide more detailed comments in case
you would like to write an essay on the subject. The
presentation will count for 5% of the final assessment.
Failure to present a paper results in a loss of the 5%,
unless a medical certificate is provided.
Tutorial presence will be recorded. Together with your
answers to the tutorial questions, your presence and
participation will count for 5% of the final mark.
7. Tutorial program
1. Introduction, organisation of the tutorials, distribution
of topics
(week beginning 28 July)
2. Topic A: Opium dealing and revenue farming
(week beginning 4 August)
Why did governments in Southeast Asia rely heavily on income
from revenue farms during the 19th century? Why was income
from opium farms so prominent?
* Butcher, J. (1993) ÔRevenue Farming and the Changing State
in Southeast AsiaÕ in J. Butcher and H. Dick (eds.) The Rise
and Fall of Revenue Farming: Business Elites and the
Emergence of the Modern State in Southeast Asia. (New York:
St.MartinÕs Press) pp.19-44.
3. Topic B: Sugar production in Java
(week beginning 11 August)
Why was the cane sugar industry in colonial Java hailed as
one of the most efficient in the world? Why did it experience
a massive decline in the 1930s?
* Boomgaard, P. (1988) ÔTreacherous Cane: The Java Sugar
Industry between 1914 and 1940Õ in B. Albert and A. Graves
(eds.) The World Sugar Economy in War and Depression 1914-40.
(London: Routledge) pp.157-169.
4. Topic C: Small and large-scale tin mining
(week beginning 18 August)
Why did Chinese small-scale producers, rather than Western
enterprise long dominate tin production in Malaya?
* Wong Lin Ken (1964) ÔWestern Enterprise and the
Development of the Malayan Tin Industry to 1914Õ in D.D.
Cowan (ed.) The Economic Development of Southeast Asia.
(London: Allen and Unwin) pp.127-153.
5. Topic D: Rubber production by plantations and
smallholders
(week beginning 25 August)
Why were smallholders eventually more successful than Western
plantations in expanding rubber production in Malaya and
Indonesia?
* Barlow, C. et al. (1994) ÔThe History of Natural RubberÕ
in The World Rubber Industry. (London: Routledge) pp.30-53.
6. Topic E: Intra-Asian trade
(week beginning 1 September)
What was the role of Asian markets in the development of
foreign trade (exports and imports) in Southeast Asia?
* Sugihara, K. (1986) ÔPatterns of AsiaÕs Integration into
the World Economy, 1880-1913Õ in C. Knick Harley (ed.) (1996)
The Integration of the World Economy, 1850-1914: Volume II.
(Cheltenham: Elgar) pp.700-719. Chifley HF1379.I547
7. Topic F: Chettyars and Chinese in the informal money
market
(week beginning 8 September)
Were Chettyars and Chinese money lenders usurers?
* Brown, R. (1993) ÔChettiar Capital and Southeast Asian
Credit Networks in the Inter-War PeriodÕ in A. Austin and K.
Sugihara (eds.) Local Suppliers of Credit in the Third World
1750-1960. (London: Macmillan) pp.254-287.
8. Topic G: Education and economic development
(week beginning 15 September)
How did the lack of educational facilities, or Ôinvestment in
human capitalÕ, contribute to economic underdevelopment in
Southeast Asia?
* Easterlin, R.A. (1981) ÔWhy isnÕt the Whole World
Developed?Õ, Journal of Economic History, 41, pp.1-17.
9. Topic H: Industrialisation in Malaysia
(week beginning 7 October)
Was colonial rule responsible for the low rate of
industrialisation in Malaya ate the eve of independence?
* Overton, J. (1994) ÔAgriculture and Industry in Colonial
MalayaÕ in H. Brook field et al. (eds.) Transformation with
Industrialization in Peninsular Malaysia. (Kuala Lumpur:
Oxford UP) pp.35-48.
10. Topic I: Natural resources: Oil and gas in Indonesia
(week beginning 13 October)
What were the economic advantages and disadvantages of having
large reserves of oil and gas in Indonesia during the past 30
years?
* Rigg, J. (1991) ÔNatural Resources in Southeast Asia: Oil
and Gas Development and the Indonesian EconomyÕ in Southeast
Asia: A Region in Transition. (London: Unwin Hyman) pp.163-
184.
11. Topic J: Foreign investment in the Philippines and
Thailand
(week beginning 20 October)
Why was Thailand much more successful in attracting foreign
investment than the Philippines since the 1960s? How did
foreign investment contribute to economic growth in both
countries?
* Yoshihara, K. (1994) ÔThe Contribution of Foreign
InvestmentÕ in The Nation and Economic Growth. The
Philippines and Thailand. (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP) pp.41-64.
12. Review of the unit, questions about reading and
examination
(week beginning 27 October)
8. Essays
You will submit an essay of 2,500-3,000 words. Students
taking the unit at ho nours level will submit an essay of
5,000-6,000 words. You can expand your tutorial presentation
as your essay. Further instructions and lists with additional
reading are available from the lecturer for that purpose.
These lists are not complete. The listed reading is in
English only. However, the ANU library and the Australian
National Library contain many relevant publications in other
languages. Stu dents who would like to make an original
contribution to the unit, can ask the lecturer for references
to rele vant publications in other languages.
You will have to focus your essay on the issues which are
really relevant to answering the set questions. The best way
to recog nise such issues is by taking a comparative
perspective. The simple question ÔWhy did something happen in
one country and not in another?Õ, helps to designate the
relevant issues. If you choose your own topic, you should try
to take a comparative perspective by discussing an issue for
two coun tries in Southeast Asia.
You are welcome to define your own essay topic, according to
your own interests, but only if essay topic and the minimum
reading have been approved by the lecturer before Friday 19
September.
You may present quantitative data in tabu lated or graphic
form if it serves your argumentation. But be aware how the
data in the tables or charts are defined and how they can be
interpreted. You may also use relevant publications in other
languages for the essay. For further guidelines, see the
pamphlet Notes on the writing of essays, which can be
obtained from the depart mental administrator. Otherwise,
consult: J. Clanchy and B. Bollard, Essay Writing for
Students (1991), which is available in the Chifley library
and can be purchased from the ANU Study Skills Centre or the
Coop bookshop. Before you hand in your essay: (a) check your
grammar, (b) do a spell-check, (c) insert page numbers.
The essays should be placed in the essay box at the door of
the administrator of the Department of Economic History no
later than 9.00 AM on Wednesday 29 October. Where the essay
is submitted after the set time, two marks (i.e. 2 of 30)
will be deducted for each weekday or part thereof that the
essay is late, except where an extension is granted.
Applications for extensions should be made in advance of the
due date and should be accompanied by a medical certificate.
Exten sions will only be granted to students whose work is
affected by persistent illness or on compassionate grounds.
9. The unit at honours level
Apart from the longer essay, students doing the unit at
honours level are expected to attend a special workshop. The
main aim of the workshop is to introduce students to primary
research materials, in particular historical statistics. A
brief introductory session will explain the format of the
workshop and determine the subject of the workshop. During
the four sessions we will discuss the issue at hand and the
available sources. Students will inventorise these sources
and indicate how they can be used for analytical purposes. A
separate handout on the workshop will be made available to
students doing the unit at honours level.
10. Concise list of introductory reading
This list will help you to read more widely, and to start
preparing your tutorial presentations or essays. The list is
certainly not exhaustive. Entries for each country have been
chosen to comprise the entire period covered by the unit. If
you have specific questions about the history of the
countries, consult:
- Embree, A. T. (ed.) (1988) Encyclopedia of Asian History.
New York: Scribner (4 Vols.) Menzies and Chifley reference
DS31.E53
1. Southeast Asia
* Brown, I. (1997) Economic Change in South-East Asia,
c.1830-1980. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP. Chifley reserve
HC441.B75
* Dixon, C. (1991) South-East Asia in the World Economy.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Chifley reserve HC441.D59
- Fryer, D.W. (1979) Emerging Southeast Asia: A Study in
Growth and Stagnation. London: Philip. Chifley HC412.F75
* Rigg, J. (1991) Southeast Asia: A Region in Transition.
London: Unwin Hyman. Chifley reserve DS521.62.R54
- Osborne, M. (1990) Southeast Asia: An Illustrated
Introductory History. Sydney: Allen and Unwin. Menzies
DS511.O75
* Tate, D.J.M. (1979) The Making of Modern South-East Asia.
Volume 2: The Western Impact, Eco nomic and Social Change.
Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP. Chifley reserve DS511.T39
2. Burma
- Cook, P. and M. Minogue (1993) ÔEconomic Reform and
Political Change in Myanmar (Burma)Õ, World Development, 21,
pp.1151-1162. Chifley 6HC10.W56
- Fenichel, A.H. and W.G. Huff (1971) ÔThe Impact of
Colonialism on Burmese Eco nomic Development.Õ Centre for
Developing-Areas Studies Occasional Paper No.7. Montreal:
McGill University. Chifley pHC422.F4
- Hill, H. and S. Jayasuriya (1986) An Inward Looking
Economy in Transition: Economic Development in Burma since
the 1960s. Singapore: ISEAS. Menzies 6DS501.I5
- Pfanner, M.R. (1969) ÔBurmaÕ in F. Golay et al.,
Underdevelopment and Economic Nationalism in Southeast Asia.
(Ithaca: Cornell UP) pp.203-266. Chifley HC412.U53
3. Thailand
- Phongpaichit, P. and C. Baker (1995) Thailand: Economy and
Politics. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP. Menzies 2023634 (new
books) (In particular chapters 1-6)
- Falkus, M. (1991) ÔThe Economic History of ThailandÕ,
Australian Economic History Review, 31, pp.53-71. Chifley
6HC8.A94
- Ingram, J.C. (1971) Economic Change in Thailand 1850-1970.
Stanford: Stanford UP. Chifley HC497.T4.I5
- Warr, P.G. (ed.) (1993) The Thai Economy in Transition.
(Melbourne: Cambridge UP) pp.1-80. Chifley HC445.T397
4. Indochina
- Brocheux, P. (1994) The Mekong Delta: Ecology, Economy,
and Revolution, 1860-1960. Madison: Center for Southeast
Asian Studies. Menzies DS556.8.B76
- Dacy, D.C. (1986) Foreign Aid, War, and Economic
Development: South Vietnam, 1955-1975. Cambridge: Cambridge
UP. Chifley HC444.D33
- Fforde, A. and S. de Vylder (1996) From Plan to Market:
The Economic Transition in Vietnam. Boulder: Westview Press.
Chifley HC444.F457
- Robequain, Ch. (1944) The Economic Development of French
Indo-China. London: Oxford UP. Chifley HC442.R613 and Store
Bliss OH R638
- Tran, D.D. (1994) Vietnam: Socialist Economic Development
1955-1992. San Francisco:ICS Press. Chifley HC444.T68
5. Malaysia and Singapore
- Huff, W.G. (1994) The Economic Growth of Singapore: Trade
and Development in the Twentieth Century. New York: Cambridge
UP. Chifley HC445.8.H84
- Jomo, K.S. (1990) Growth and Structural Change in the
Malaysian Economy. London: Macmillan. Chifley HC445.5.J65
- Lim Chong-Yah (1967) Economic Development of Modern
Malaya. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford UP. Chifley HC445.5.L5
6. Indonesia
* Booth, A. et al. (eds.) (1990) Indonesian Economic History
in the Dutch Colonial Era. New Haven: Yale Southeast Asia
Studies. Chifley reserve HC447.I53
- Furnivall, J.S. (1939) Netherlands India: A Study of
Plural Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Menzies DS634.F8
- Hill, H. (1996) The Indonesian Economy since 1966.
Southeast AsiaÕs Emerging Giant. Cambridge: CUP. Chifley
HC447.H55
- Mangkosuwondo, S. (1975) ÔIndonesiaÕ in S. Ichimura (ed.)
The Economic Development of East and Southeast Asia.
(Honolulu: UP of Hawaii) pp.1-58. Chifley HC412.I49
- Paauw, D.S. (1963) ÔFrom Colonial to Guided EconomyÕ in
R.T. McVey (ed.) Indonesia. (New Haven: Yale UP) pp.155-247.
Menzies DS615.M3
7. Philippines
- Boyce, J.K. (1993) The Philippines. The Political Economy
of Growth and Impoverishment in the Marcos Era. London:
Macmillan. Chifley HC455.B69
- Cabalu, H. (1994) ÔThe Development Experience of the
Philippines: A Case of What Not to Do.Õ Research School of
Pacific Studies, Economics Division Working Paper Southeast
Asia No.94/2. Canberra: ANU. Chifley 6HC10.E327
- Golay, F. (1969) ÔThe PhilippinesÕ in F. Golay et al.,
Underdevelopment and Economic Nationalism in Southeast Asia.
(Ithaca: Cornell UP) pp.21-110. Chifley HC412.U53
- Valdenenas, V.B. and G.M. Bautista (1977) The Emergence of
the Philippine Economy. Manila: Papyrus Press. Chifley
HC453.V34
Who is the lecturer?
I studied history and development economics and worked at the
University of Groningen (1986-90) in the Netherlands, where I
obtained my doctorate. I also worked at the National
Institute of Economic and Social Research in London and at
the Research School of Pacific Studies at the ANU.
Since the publication of a book on the Marshall Plan and
Dutch postwar economic recovery in 1987, I published on
various aspects of the economic history of Indonesia. A
version of my doctoral thesis on agricultural development in
Indonesia was last year published by Macmillan. My research
interests include agricultural development and economic
growth in Southeast Asia.
I am presently involved in two research projects. One
involves the collection of historical economic statistics in
Southeast Asia. The second project concerns the history of
IndonesiaÕs soils, in particular the question whether and to
what extent more than 50 years of agricultural land use has
impinged on the productive capacity of land and may decrease
food supply in Indonesia in the near future.
If you have any questions about or problems with the unit, do
not hesitate to contact me. My office hours are announced on
my door, but you can always send me an email (my address is
on p.1) or leave a telephone message on my voicemail
recorder.
Good luck!