1st Edition
Ersatz Capitalism and Industrial Policy in Southeast Asia A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Indonesia and Malaysia
This book applies and develops the concept of “ersatz capitalism” in the analysis of industrial policy blockades to economic development in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Drawing on insights from international political economy, development studies, industrial and innovation policy, and new institutionalism to refer to a specific type of capitalism, the book analyzes different paths and institutions of economic development within the entire East Asian region. Comprehensive theoretical insights are complemented by empirical case studies that relate to country and sectoral studies – the automotive and ICT industries – in Malaysia and Indonesia. Applying contemporary research on international political economy to refer to a specific type of capitalism, the author examines how conflicts of interest between factions of state apparatus, associations, and companies contribute to the failure of developmental policies.
The unique combination of theory formation and empirical analysis provides a novel approach to international comparative research on capitalism. The book will be of interest to researchers in the fields of international political economy, development studies, new institutionalism, East Asian and Southeast Asian studies, and industrial and innovation policy.
List of illustrations; Abbreviations; 1 Introduction; 2 Theoretical framework of ersatz capitalism; 3 Research design and methods; 4 Varieties of ersatz capitalism in Malaysia; 5 Case study of Malaysia’s automotive industry development; 6 Case study of Malaysia’s ICT industry development; 7 Varieties of ersatz capitalism in Indonesia; 8 Case study of Indonesia’s automotive industry development; 9 Case study of Indonesia’s ICT industry development; 10 Conclusion; Appendix 1: List of interviews; Appendix 2: Interview guidelines; Index
Biography
Fabian Bocek worked as a research associate at the Chair of Political Economy and Economic Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, his profession is in the field of promoting innovation, economic policy, and research funding. His research focuses are comparative and international political economy, regional variations and historical development of capitalism in East Asia, institutions of economic development, and modern approaches to industrial, innovation, and research policy.
