Van clichés en misverstanden tot Chinese tafeletiquette Voor en tijdens de Olympische Spelen stond China intensief in de schijnwerpers. Vele facetten werden belicht, maar vaak gebeurde dat nogal fragmentarisch. China is een land van superlatieven. Het heeft de snelst groeiende economie van de laatste twintig jaar en de grootste consumentenmarkt. We kijken naar de ontwikkelingen met westerse ogen en in ons oordeel nemen we de westerse norm als criterium. Maar wat weten we nu werkelijk van d...

Peter Ho, former Head of the Singapore Civil Service, was the Institute of Policy Studies' 2016/17 S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore.This book collects the four IPS-Nathan Lectures that he delivered between April and May 2017, and gathers highlights of his dialogues with the audience.Ho surveys the increasingly complex world, and suggests what governments can do to prepare for the future — even as no one can predict it. He uses metaphors such as the 'black elephant' and concepts...

Developmental Dilemmas singles out land as an object of study and places it in the context of one of the world's largest and most populous countries undergoing institutional reform: the People's Republic of China. The book demonstrates that private property protected by law, the principle of 'getting-the-prices-right', and the emergence of effectively functioning markets are the outcome of a given society's historical development and institutional fabric. Peter Ho argues that the ...

Why would the removal of authoritarian institutions in some developing countries lead to sustained socio-economic crisis, while others experience explosive growth despite 'persisting' informal, insecure and rent-seeking institutional arrangements? A key to solving this enigma lies in understanding China, a country where the paradoxes of development are highly visible. Peter Ho argues that understanding China's economy necessitates an analytical refocusing from Form to Function, detached fr...

First published in 2006. Over the past decades, the world has witnessed the profound transformation of China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Singapore from impoverished developing regions into strong and internationally competitive economies. Also dubbed Newly Industrializing Economies (NIEs), it has become obvious that their rapid development has come at a price. Contrary to their economic successes, these NIEs have been much less successful in terms of ecological sustainability and environmental pr...

A WWII-era Welsh barmaid begins a secret relationship with a German POW in this "beautiful" novel by the author of A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself (Ann Patchett).Longlisted for the Man Booker PrizeSet in the stunning landscape of North Wales just after D-Day, this critically acclaimed debut novel traces the intersection of disparate lives in wartime. When a prisoner-of-war camp is established near her village, seventeen-year-old barm...

An NPR Best Book of the Year: "The most honest, unflinching, cathartically biting novel I've read about the Chinese American experience." —Celeste Ng, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Our Missing HeartsWinner, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award * Winner, Chautauqua Prize *Finalist, Dayton Literary Peace Prize * A New York Times Notable Book * A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the YearSly, funny, intelligent, and artfully stru...

Longlisted for the Man Booker PrizeA Richard & Judy Book Club choice'A beautiful, ambitious novel . . . Emotionally resonant and perfectly rendered, I believed in every character, every sheep, every last blade of grass.' - Ann PatchettIn 1944, a German Jewish refugee is sent to Wales to interview Rudolf Hess; in Snowdonia, a seventeen-year-old girl, the daughter of a fiercely nationalistic shepherd, dreams of the bright lights of an ...

From an award-winning author, this novel about the choice to start a family is an "achingly honest, searingly comic portrait of fatherhood."*A People ten Best Books of the Year • A New York Times Notable Book of the Year • An Independent (UK) twenty Best Books of the Year"Wise, bracingly honest . . ....

Today's resurgence of global strife, polarization and neo-nationalism is unprecedented in intensity since the end of the Cold War. Against the backdrop of such dramatic changes, there is anxiety leading many to cling to certitudes that the world is made up of clear-cut divisions: developed versus undeveloped; democratic versus dictatorial; tolerant versus intolerant... Yet, when taking a long term view, and when delving into the vastness of geographical spaces, it becomes obvious that such...

Peter Ho, former head of Singapore's Civil Service, has during his decades of public service brought to bear a deep appreciation of futures thinking, complexity, and strategic surprise to multiple aspects of governance and security. This volume, presented to Peter on the occasion of his 70th birthday, brings together contributions from his friends (from Singapore and beyond) and collaborators over many years of work covering several fields. The contributions touch on areas such as foresigh...

'There are some stories that require as much courage to write as they do art. Peter Ho Davies's achingly honest, searingly comic portrait of fatherhood is just such a story . . . The world needs more stories like this one, more of this kind of courage, more of this kind of love.' - Sigrid Nunez, National Book Award-winning author of The FriendWhen does sorrow turn to shame? When does love become labour? When does chance become choice? And when ...