The New Rich in Asia: Mobile Phones, McDonald's and Middle Class Revolution (New Rich in Asia Series) [Paperback]

David SG Goodman (Editor), Richard Robison (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0415113369 | ISBN-13: 978-0415113366

This is the first volume in the The New Rich in Asia series which examines the economic, social and political construction of the 'new rich' in the countries and territories of East and South East Asia, as well as their impact internationally. From a western perspective the rise of the emergent business and professional class may seem very familiar. However, it is far from clear that those newly enriched by the processes of modernization in East and South East Asia are readily comparable with the middle classes of the West. For example, civil and human rights seem to play a different role in social, political and economic change, and the State is clearly more central as an agent of economic development. This volume is the essential introduction to the series, and identifies the 'new rich' phenomenon in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The contributors demonstrate that the key to understanding the 'new rich' is to realise that they are neither a single category or class, but in each setting a series of different socio-political groups who have a common inheritance from the process of rapid economic growth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...this is a very important collection. It lies at the heart of the primary contradiction in East Asian studies.... This book is an excellent demonstration of why we still need area studies.
–Chalmers Johnson, Journal of Asian Studies

This book may be of interest primarily to social scientists, but the general or business reader...will be stimulated by reading about the relationship between the new rich and the other forces that constrain political and social action in Asia. The careful reader will learn about the economic diversity of the Asian world, its agendas, priorities, and history, and thereafter be hesitant to conclude that Asian consumers of mobile phones, MTV, and Big Macs are, after all, just like us.
–New Asia Pacific Review

For students of the politics of economic devlopment in the Asia region, this is a long awaited book.... The contributors to the book, who are mostly country specialists, offer up-to-date and detailed empirical studies of countries which have been undergoing rapid economic and political transformation.
–Pacific Review

About the Author

Richard Robison is a Professor at the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia. David Goodman is director of the Institute for International Studies, University of Technology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (March 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415113369
• ISBN-13: 978-0415113366
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,694,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars accurate musings, April 17, 2005

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The New Rich in Asia: Mobile Phones, McDonald's and Middle Class Revolution (New Rich in Asia Series) (Hardcover)

The book's papers were written shortly before the 1997 Asian economic crisis, which spawned massive devaluations and unrest. Yet just a few years later, much of the authors' insights seem accurate.

The papers give a country by country analysis of the emerging middle classes and how this might affect those countries future prospects. The level of writing seems to be directed at students of politics or economics. The papers were likely not meant for a mass audience.

As a brief note, the mobile phones referred to in the title were used as a good indicator of a massive new and visible development. Yet in 95 and 96 when the papers were written, their uptake into those societies had only begun. Quite a good choice of example.