Burma's Economy in the Twentieth Century

Ian Brown is a research professor in the economic history of Southeast Asia at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. He has published extensively on the modern economic history of Southeast Asia, initially focusing on Thailand but, since the early 1990s, turning his attention to Burma.

• Introduction; 1. The economy at the beginning of the twentieth century; 2. Strains in the late colonial economy; 3. War and independence; 4. In pursuit of socialism; 5. Toward the market: the economy from 1988; Conclusion: themes and threads; Bibliography; Index.

'This important new book could scarcely be better timed. Appearing just as Burma itself is emerging from decades of effective isolation from much of the world, Ian Brown's account of Burma's economic travails is both a significant historical work, and a highly valuable contribution to understanding the country's current (and future) problems and possibilities. A book of immense scholarship worn lightly, Burma's Economy in the Twentieth Century will prove a seminal contribution to a country that may yet escape the shackles of its past.' Sean Turnell, Macquarie University