Asia's Journey to Prosperity: Policy, Market
CHAPTER 7 Investment, Savings, AND FINANCE 7.1 Introduction Rapid and sustained economic growth requires adequate investment. The economic history of Asia over the past 50 years bears testimony to this inexorable fact. All fast-growing economies made large investments in new factories and plants, as well as physical infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports, power plants and transmission lines, urban water supply, and telecommunications, often provided or supported by the government (Chapter 8). These investments increased productive capacity, raised labor productivity, facilitated technical progress, accelerated economic growth, and improved living standards. Asia’s high investments were financed largely by domestic savings—by households, corporations, and governments. In many countries, external financing also played an important role. Bilateral official development assistance and multilateral development bank funding were essential especially in the early stages of development (Chapter 14). Foreign direct investment (FDI) became the largest source of external finance after countries began liberalizing inward investment (Chapter 9). Remittances from overseas workers have also provided a stable source of financing in some countries. 226 | ASIA’S JOURNEY to ProspERITY—CHAPTER 7 Asia’s bank-based financial system played a critical role in channeling domestic savings to domestic investment. More recently, capital markets have grown significantly to provide long-term financing, especially since the 1997–1998 Asian financial crisis. This chapter examines the patterns of investment, savings, and finance in developing Asia during the past 50 years of rapid growth and transformation. Section 7.2 describes Asia’s rapid capital accumulation, including investment in productive capacity and infrastructure. Section 7.3 looks at savings by households, corporations, and governments as sources of domestic investment financing, and their corresponding policy and institutional drivers.
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