New tigers & old elephants

by Scott B. MacDonald

The lighthearted title symbolizes the subject of the book, the disparity between economic breakthrough and stagnation, a crucial choice for developing countries. As we near the close of the twentieth century, the so-called New World Order remains undefined and its parameters hazy. Amidst all the uncertainty, one thing appears clear - a great many of the advantages that propelled countries forward during the Cold War decades no longer apply. In a world in which economic power is driven by the harnessing of new technological breakthroughs, cheap labor and abundant raw materials will not remain decisive as in the past. Increasingly, developing countries must bridge an ever-widening economic gap to achieve industrial status.