The Asia Pacific Region in the Global Economy: A Canadian Perspective

Lawrence T. Woods is an associate professor of International Studies at
the University of Northern British Columbia.

Written by and almost exclusively for academic and government
economists, this thoroughtly documented tome comprises 14 papers about
the challenge of the Asia Pacific. Richard Lipsey, Sylvia Ostry, Wendy
Dobson, and John Helliwell are among the volume’s contributors. Such
timely and provocative topics as social capital, science and technology,
natural resource exports, and trade in educational services are
addressed. Of particular value is Richard Pomfret’s survey of the
lessons we might learn from the Australian experience of increasing
interaction with the Asia Pacific region. Taken as a whole, the volume
is careful not to oversell the potential of Asia Pacific trade
opportunities. The scholarly and policy communities are a natural
audience for this collection. Readers seeking more-general insights and
background information on the theme of Canada–Asia Pacific trade
should consult such sources as Tomorrow the Pacific (by Edward English),
Pacific Partners (by Carin Holroyd and Ken Coates), and The Future of
the Pacific Rim (edited by Barbara Bundy).