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Summary: Did these help development?
Comment: At the core of the success of several Asian countries has been an intensive investment in public education. This book discusses to what extent a much touted "Asian values" approach was responsible for the development of the countries.Various issues are raised. Like, are there really "Asian" values? Or are these part of a more general set of human rights? Are Asian values partly due to a Confucian, Taoist or Buddhist background? One author, Glazer, uses this to offer an updated critique of Max Weber's famous analysis, well nigh a century ago, that attributed some of Europe's rise to it being imbued with a Protestant ethos. Ironically, at that time, some Europeans condemned Asian backwardness as being in part due to the Asian religions.
Other authors also discuss how public education has been used to inculcate a national set of values to new generations. A very familiar argument to those used in the US for its public education.
