The role of economic planning in the development of Southeast Asia (with special reference to Burma)

Chit Maung, Yi Yi (1965) The role of economic planning in the development of Southeast Asia (with special reference to Burma). Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (7MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

Since the Second World War, economic planning by a central authority has become increasingly popular in developing countries. The governments of the newly independent nations of Southeast Asia believe that to achieve a rapid economic growth, each country must operate on a planned basis. Economic planning was accepted as an essential means for guiding and accelerating economic development. -- Scope of the Thesis -- This thesis attempts a general survey of economic planning in eight countries namely: Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The basic problems faced in the process of economic planning as well as effectiveness of the plans in Southeast Asian regions are considered. As countries in Southeast Asia have similar economic, social and cultural characteristics, certain generalizations can be made with regard to their basic development problems. -- Economic planning implies a substantial degree of centralization in policy-making particularly if the aim, in part, of such planning is improving the climate for private enterprise and perfecting the operations of relatively free markets. In Southeast Asia, although a certain amount of government planning exists in all the countries, the content of their plans varies considerably. Intensive study of the plans of each individual country is beyond the scope of the thesis; therefore, only basic aspects of economic planning are considered on a regional basis. However, as Burma was the first country in Southeast Asia which attempted comprehensive planning on the aggregate as well as the sector level, the experience of economic planning in Burma is discussed in some detail. -- The research covers the period from the end of the Second World War until 1960. Thereafter, the role of economic planning in Southeast Asia has increased in importance. However, as great variations now exist in the approaches, formulation and execution of plans, it is not appropriate to make generalizations on the basis of the experience in planning of Southeast Asia as a whole after 1960. -- Objective of the Thesis -- The main objective is to analyse the reasons the countries in Southeast Asia relied heavily on central planning for their economic development and how successful they have been in their attempts to achieve rapid economic planning. In other words, this thesis is to analyse: -- 1. The basic problems facing the Southeast Asian countries. -- 2. Why the governments attempted to solve the problems through economic planning. -- 3. The experience of Burma in her attempts to achieve rapid growth through a comprehensive economic planning. -- 4. The effectiveness of economic planning in the region as a whole. -- 5. The reasons why national plans have failed to achieve their objectives. -- 6. Possible solutions for some of the problems these nations have faced in planning. -- The writer has obtained most of the necessary materials from United Nations publications, especially those of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East. Research on the experience of economic planning in Burma was based mainly on the data provided by the Central Statistics and Economics Department, Ministry of National Planning, and annual government publications such as Economic Survey of Burma. Detailed analysis of the experience of other Southeast Asian countries could not be undertaken due to the limited amount of information available.

Actions (login required)

View Item