Author: DAVID HENLEY.

The World Bank's 1993 report on The East Asian Miracle prompted a wave of comparative research aimed at extracing practical lessons for African countries from the development achievements of large parts of Asia in the late twentieth century. Increasingly, however, researchers questioned the relevance of Asian experience to the African predicament, pointing to systematic contrasts between the two continents with respect to historical circumstances, geographical constraints, and political cultures. This paper briefly surveys the comparative literature, assesses some of the arguments, and discusses the role of ideology in the debate.