by Ramkishen S Rajan (University of AdelaideInstitute of Policy Studies, AustraliaSingapore)

Ramkishen Rajan is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Economics and a Research Associate at the Centre for International Economic Studies (CIES), University of Adelaide. He is concurrently a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore. Dr Rajan has published over forty journal articles and over thirty book chapters and policy briefs on various aspects of international economics, especially with particular reference to Asia. His recent monographs include: Singapore's Attraction to Free Trade Areas: Bilateral Trade Relations with Japan and the US, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, June 2001 (with Rahul Sen and Reza Siregar); “The Evolving Asian Financial Architecture”, Princeton Essays in International Economics, No. 226, International Economics Section, Princeton University, March 2002 (with Graham Bird); and “(Ir)relevance of Currency Crisis Theory to the Devaluation and Collapse of the Thai Baht”, Princeton Study in International Economics, No. 88, International Economics Section, Princeton University, February 2001. Dr Rajan has a BSocSci (Hons) in Economics from the National University of Singapore, an MA in Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an MA and a PhD from the Graduate University of the Claremont Colleges, California.

The term “economic globalization” has been discussed extensively in the popular press, by business executives and by policy-makers all over the world. While academic economists have made some excellent contributions to specific, technical aspects of economic globalization, there appears to be a need for economists to discuss the broader aspects of the issue in a more accessible manner. Failing this, the general debate will be informed only by the writings of non-economists.

That is the motivation for this book, which is a collection of essays on various aspects of economic globalization in general, but with specific reference to Asia.

• Economic Globalization: Finance, Trade and Taxation:
  • Economic Globalization and Small and Open Economies: Finance, Trade and Taxation
• International Monetary and Financial Issues in East Asia:
  • International Capital Flows and Regional Contagion: Boom and Bust in East Asia in the 1990s
  • Liquidity-Enhancing Measures and Monetary Cooperation in East Asia: Rationale and Progress
  • Choosing the Right Exchange Rate Regime for Small and Open Economies in East Asia
• International Trade Issues in Asia:
  • The Nexus Between Trade Liberalization and Poverty in Asia
  • India's Decade-Long Trade Reforms: How Does It Compare with Its East Asian Neighbours? (with Rahul Sen)
  • Singapore's Drive to Form Cross-Regional Trade Pacts: Rationale and Implications (with Rahul Sen)
  • International Trade in Infrastructural Services in East Asia: Telecommunications and Finance
• International Tax Issues in Asia:
  • Economic Globalization and Taxation: With Particular Reference to Southeast Asia (with Mukul Asher)