"Roy's book is a rich and detailed study of various facets of economic and social development in ten countries, both democratic and authoritarian. Researchers and students will find here a wealth of information and statistics that can be mined to explore fundamental questions around state interventionism and modes of governance, around democratisation, authoritarianism and economic development, around the factors driving the differential developmental performance of specific countries, and around the desirability of economic growth at all costs. It also provides a very useful starting-point for considering the future of Asia as China's economic, political and military strength continues to grow."

Jude A Howell
Professor London School of Economics (LSE), London, UK
From the Foreword

With over three decades worth of research and analysis, Roy compares ten countries — India; Brazil; Indonesia; China; Japan; South Korea; Singapore; Vietnam; Thailand; and, Malaysia — in the role of the state in economic development. Comprising of a rich body of work on state intervention and developmental states, Roy postulate on the idea of 'virtuous' and 'vicious' interventionist states.