Edited by Christoph Antons. Routledge Curzon, London, 2003. ISBN: 0700713212 (HB).

During the 1980s and 1990s Asian “developmental states” attracted much attention in political science and economics literature, but the role of law in the economic development was neglected. It was only after the Asian crisis of 1997 that many analysts began to focus on a lack of regulation and transparency as a major factor triggering the crisis.

The crucial questions now are how successful the current reforms will be, and which features of the Asian approach to commercial law will be resistant to reform pressures. This book examines the prospects for commercial law reform in Asia, giving particular attention to Japan and Singapore, as frequently cited role models for Asian developmentalism, and also examining development related business laws in countries such as China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Edited by Robyn Iredale, Charles Hawksley and Stephen Castles. Edward Elgar, 2003. 432 pp. ISBN: 1840648600 (HB).

This book examines the overall trends and labour patterns of migrants, their relationship with the state, and the impacts they have on the societies in which they work and sometimes settle. The book adopts a multidisciplinary perspective which encompasses economics, history, politics, geography, and sociology, and presents a unique body of new empirical research that forms the basis of many of the chapters.

The book emphasises the growing importance and value of transnational communities and multiple identities. It covers many of the diverse migration patterns that have recently emerged —from rural out-migration in China, to international labour movements in the Asia Pacific region as a whole. The conditions of many migrant workers are far from satisfactory and this is highlighted in a number of the chapters. Settlement outcomes, when and where they occur, have major policy and social implications and are changing the ethnic composition of many countries in the region. The growth of civil society in Singapore, increased ethnic diversity in Japan and the emergence of New Zealand’s multicultural population are all examples of some of the developments that host nations are having to come to terms with.

Edited by Robyn Iredale, Fei Guo, and Santi Rozario. Edward Elgar, UK, 2003. ISBN 1843763036 (HB).

This book examines recent developments in return skilled migration in four regions in the Asia Pacific—Bangladesh, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The authors believe that the movement of skilled migrants, and the tacit knowledge they bring with them, is a vital component in the process of globalisation.

Edited by Peter Kell, Sue Shore and Michael Singh. Peter Lang, 2003. xxv+299pp. ISBN: 0820461105 (PB).

Adult Education @ 21st Century tackles tough questions concerning how to respond to and engage with transnational education markets and multicultural diversity in a global environment typified by disorienting changes and continuities. Researchers from different countries demonstrate various ways in which the teachers of adults mediate and mitigate the oppressive consequences of the contemporary transition to globalization and the resentment and alienation to which it gives rise. Based on analyses of their work, the contributors argue that teachers and policy makers involved in adult education are significant agents of innovation. From Germany and Norway, across Malaysia and Australia to Canada, the contributors to this book are engaging in transformative projects that are informed by globally oriented thinking and actions aimed at enhancing local viability.

By Philip Kitley. RoutledgeCurzon, London, 2003. 288pp. ISBN: 0415297338 (HB).

This highly topical book exposes the tensions between state policies of broadcasting regulation and practices of civil society in the Asian region which is struggling with its incorporation into a new globalised, electronic information and entertainment world. Kitley critically compares Western principles of broadcasting, civil society and cultural regulation with alternative “Asian” practices of regulation and organisation. Over the past forty years Asian states have used television as a normative cultural force in nation building, but more recently many states have deregulated their television sectors and introduced national commercial and international satellite services. As Asian states wrestle with a perceived loss of cultural control and identity through deregulation, this book considers their viewpoints and the question of whether the television public sphere offers space for the representation of popular sovereignty, and transversal concerns about human rights, press freedom, gender, environmental and world trade issues.

Edited by Timothy J. Scrase, Todd Joseph Miles Holden, and Scott Baum. Trans Pacific Press, Melbourne, 2003. ISBN: 1876843888 (PB) 1876843942 (HB).

Contemplating globalization from a sociological perspective, it is without doubt that a major site for social, political, economic and cultural change in the new millennium lies in the Asian region. The underlying theme of the book is the multi-dimensional way in which globalization - in the form of ideas, practices and technology - have introduced social inequalities in specific contexts.

The book draws on studies from several countries in the region and covers such areas as gender, class, labor, media, identity, cities and urbanization.

By Yuan Wang, Xin Sheng Zhang and Rob Goodfellow. Talisman Publishing, 2003. ISBN: 9810491581 (HB).

China is undergoing major changes in its economic and social structures.

The realities of constant change means that stereotypical or traditional views about what constitues a distinctive business culture must be re-examined. This book presents a vivid picture of modern-day commerce in the People's Republic of China, written in a practical, comprehensive style that will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers—from professional businesspeople and MBA postgraduates, to university and business college students, especially those pursuing Asia studies.

China Business Culture: Strategies for Success attempts to explain China's complex business environment in terms of tradition and the realities of a dynamic living culture. 

By Rocque Reynolds and Natalie Stoianoff. The Federation Press, 2003. 592pp. ISBN: 1862874530 (PB).

Intellectual Property: Text and Essential Cases is a comprehensive, in-depth and engaging exposition of the legal principles of Australian intellectual property law with selected case extracts to illustrate the law's evolution and current challenges.

This work covers Copyright, Moral Rights and Performers' Rights, Circuit Layouts, Patents, Designs, Plant Breeders' Rights, Confidential Information, Passing Off and Trade Marks. It features inclusive treatment of digital and biotechnologies within the discussion of legal principle, full recognition of the international context of intellectual property law in Australia, and comparative tables to clarify complex areas of copyright law.

Edited by Tim Turpin, Liu Xielin, Sam Garrett-Jones and Peter Burns. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2003. ISBN: 1840645083 (HB).

This book is the result of a comparative investigation that contrasts microsystems of innovation in several regions of China and Australia—two vastly different countries in terms of traditions, industry structures, political systems and economic organisation. Six regional studies comprehensively document the experiences of firms engaged in product or process innovation. The book also examines the institutions that support research and development and the impact of government policies on innovation in each of the regions studied.

The case-studies present original and informative insights into the different ways in which local, national and transnational interests interact and influence regional development. These findings support the view that local innovation systems are emerging with quite different structural characteristics. The authors conclude that local, national and transnational dimensions are continually redefining and aligning themselves in novel and interesting ways. They highlight the importance of identifying these structural relationships in order to encourage dynamic innovation to occur. This, they argue, has important implications for policymakers concerned with the promotion of innovation in regional areas.

Innovation, Technology Policy and Regional Development will be of great interest to those involved in research and policy in the fields of economic growth and employment, industrial economics and innovation. 

Edited by Michael Zanko and Matt Ngui. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, 2003. 672pp. ISBN: 1840647515 (HB).

The strategic value of human resource management (HRM) in successful, sustainable competitive advantage is fully acknowledged and yet, until now there has been little in the way of descriptive analytic profiles of countries and markets outside of the US and Europe. Together with Volume 1 this Handbook forms a complete codification of HRM policies and practices of all 21 Asia-Pacific member economies.