Economic upgrading in a state-coordinated,liberal market economy

Well-established research into different models of capitalism has not been applied well to developing countries. Changing global conditions, institutional differences, and path-dependent histories have forced late developing countries to create models of their own. By and large, however, these models have been less than successful in fostering economic development through technological upgrading. A comparison of skills upgrading in several fast-growing economies in Southeast Asia suggests that perhaps there is a new “State Coordinated, Liberal Market Economy” developmental model that can successfully lead to upgrading-driven economic development. This model combines elements from the Developmental State, Coordinated Market, and Liberal Market Economy models while differing significantly from each.

Bryan K. RitchieEmail: URL: www.msu.edu/~ritchieb

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Bryan K. Ritchie   (Ph.D. from Emory University) is associate professor of international relations and political economy at the James Madison College, Michigan State University. His research focuses on the political economy of innovation, entrepreneurship, technological development, skills education and training, and social capital, particularly in Southeast Asia. His research has been published by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and journals such as International Organization, World Development, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, and Journal of East Asian Studies. He has received many awards and grants, including Michigan State’s Teacher-Scholar award, the Council of Graduate School’s Distinguished Dissertation in the Social Sciences award for 2002, and grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Dr. Ritchie received an MBA from Brigham Young University and has had extensive experience in the computer industry, including management and consulting roles for firms such as Novell, Iomega, 3Com, USRobotics, and Megahertz. He is an entrepreneur who has started and managed multiple companies. He currently directs the external strategy for Michigan State University’s Office of Biobased Technologies and co-directs the operation of the Michigan Center for Innovation and Economic Prosperity.