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...

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...

"Touching and funny" short fiction about family, estrangement, and dislocation from the award-winning author of A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself (Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway).Featuring "stories about the touchy relationships between parents and children and the necessary pain of letting go—both for parents with children who are becoming adults and for adults whose parents are aging," this collection showcases the talent, wit, and ...

Short stories from the author of A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself—"a writer to behold with real pleasure" (Gish Jen).In tales that travel from Coventry to Kuala Lumpur, from the past to the present, and from hilarity to tragedy, American bandits herd ostriches in Patagonia, British soldiers confront Zulus in Natal, and John Wayne leads the way for local revolutionaries in Southeast Asia.These are stories in which small lives are affected by co...

The fifteenth volume in the Art of series takes an expansive view of revision—on the page and in lifeIn The Art of Revision: The Last Word, Peter Ho Davies takes up an often discussed yet frequently misunderstood subject. He begins by addressing the invisibility of revision—even though it’s an essential part of the writing process, readers typically only see a final draft, leaving the practice shrouded in mystery. To combat this, Davies pulls exam...

This is a ground-breaking volume on the role of religion as a major force of cohesion across the Indian Ocean region.A diverse range of experts present a case for conceptualizing religion as an enabler of not only shared religious identities throughout the Indian Ocean world, but multiple shared identities mediated through religion, particularly as religion intersects with other manifestations of human society in this part of the world. This theme is explored throu...