Can South Asia emulate an 'East Asian' model? Is there scope for productive regional cooperation between East and South Asia? While most of the literature on Asian development has focused on the success stories of East Asia before the crises, this volume brings a welcome comparative perspective to shed light on economic development in South Asia. The authors look at why South Asian economies have tended to be less successful than those of East Asia, and look at their prospects in the new millennium. Key factors discussed include: demography, human resource development and the labour market aid and economic development financial development and economic performance trade liberalization, privatization and foreign direct investment trade and economic integration agriculture and rural development poverty alleviation and income distribution environmental issues.