First East Asia workshop

Tokyo Workshop

November 31 and December 1, 1998

Co-organized by the World Bank and
the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) of Japan

• List of Papers
• Abstracts of Papers Presented
• Participants
• Workshop Agenda

Summary of Proceedings

The Tokyo workshop is one of a series of workshops organized for the World Development Report 1999–2000 (WDR). It was co-organized with Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan (OECF) and was made possible by the generous support of the Government of Japan.

The central goal of the Tokyo workshop was to draw lessons from the latest research on East Asian economies, with respect to globalization and urban development, which can be incorporated into the WDR 1999–2000. This goal was readily met. After opening remarks by Mr. Shuzo Nakamura and Mr. Shahid Yusuf, Director of the WDR 1999–2000, drafts of ten stimulating papers were presented, each followed by a constructive discussion that highlighted the potential room for improvements. The conference ended with remarks by Mr. Kazumi Goto.

The ten papers approach aspects of globalization, localization, and urbanization in East Asia from different perspectives. While some of the papers are devoted to analyzing the recent crisis and its effects on the economies in the region, others explore future changes that would ensure sustainable development in the context of globalization. They consider improvements in governance, education, health, social safety nets, rural and urban strategies, and environment. In so doing, they draw upon the historical experience and discuss the evolution of institutions to define future paths.