This course will examine the Asian economic miracles from the economic, social, and political angles. First, it will analyze the making of the economic miracles by exploring the roles of government policies, family and related social institutions, as well as the global political-economic forces. The relationships between these factors and the 1997 financial crisis will also be examined. Second, the course will look at the impacts of economic development on alleviating income and other forms of social-cultural inequality. Finally, it will address the complex interactions between economic development and political democratization. The course will focus on Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, but it will bring in the experiences of the Mainland China, Japan and other Southeast Asian countries where appropriate.