PODCAST: Hexapodia VIII: Þe China Syndrome!

…from the rest of coastal East Asia when looked at in comparative context:Today Noah Smith & Brad DeLong talk about China, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, Wilhelmine Germany before WWI, & other topics. The key insights are: (1) we need to get Dan Wang on this podcast; (2) in the context of coastal East Asia after WWII, it does not look as though China has any special economic development sauce—it’s just so huge—(3) China’s land-policy slowdown of migration to the coast has made its economic development significantly slower, (4) Barry Eichengreen with his theories of middle-income growth slowdown looks very wise, and (5) hexapodia!Regional Income Levels in China Today:The Coast-Interior Divergence:China Not That Special in Coastal East-Asian Context—Except for Being Very Large Indeed:If anything, it is distinguished by its late takeoff:The Three Chinas: A 50-Million Malaysia, a 300-Million Thailand, and a 1-Billion Vietnam All Mashed Together:References:Kathrin Hille: TSMC: How a Taiwanese Chipmaker Became a Linchpin of the Global Economy <https://www.ft.com/content/05206915-fd73-4a3a-92a5-6760ce965bd9>Barry Naughton: Growing Out of the Plan: Chinese Economic Reform 1978-1993 <https://www.google.com/books/edition/Growing_Out_of_the_Plan/LzzgQP0BX34C>Noah Smith: China Is Very 20th Century <https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/china-is-very-20th-century>Noah Smith: China Just Isn’t Very Popular <https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/china-just-isnt-very-popular>Noah Smith: Invincible Empire?: ‘Can China’s Neighbors Resist Its Overwhelming Power? <https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/invincible-empire>Joe Studwell: How Asia Works: Success & Failure in the World’s Most Dynamic Region <https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_Asia_Works/dNs33Q1cAX0C> TSMC: TSMC <https://www.tsmc.com/english>&:Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep <https://books.google.com/books?id=fCCWWgZ7d6UC>(Remember: You can subscribe to this… weblog-like newsletter… here: There’s a free email list. There’s a paid-subscription list with (at the moment, only a few) extras too.) Get full access to Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality at braddelong.substack.com/subscribe