How did East Asia Get Rich? Dr Oliver Kim

[@lord_of_love_and_thunder]

The discussion was both insightful and wide ranging. Of all the factors and theories, elite competition within states, as well as across borders seems to explain the most. The age old adage of “where there is a will, there is a way.”

[@johnstewart7025]

Emphasis on education: I can remember I was in the "top" of three sixth grade classes at my school in 1968. I was sitting in the front next to the number 1 student. It is quite a shock when you move to a bigger place, and you have to start off again, not near the top. In college, someone jumped off the top of the psychology building -- an ironic choice.

[@samaval9920]

Also, S Korea, Japan, etc. had other advantages 1) majority ethnic group & language 2) various national institutions.

[@joepup8348]

The meritocratic civil service exam system also helped the West develop and thrive. The Northcote-Trevelyan Proposal, which prescribed a civil service exam system for determining official appointments, was inspired by Trevelyan's travels in the Far East. Other European countries then copied Britain's meritocratic civil service structure, which eventually made its way across the Atlantic to the US which soon adapted the concept for university admissions.

[@saadabugadeh8390]

Incredible & informative

[@shaundudley4576]

This was amazing! Seldom do we have the privilege of such articulate erudition and passionate engagement from both host and guest. At the end though I am saddened by the limitations of the liberal progressive mindset that both function in. The weakness and relative absence of the China experience in this was to me indicative of that. The focus on American vassals as exemplars of the east Asian story is unfortunate. The underplaying of the grotesque nature of Japanese Fascism domestically and regionally was particularly grating. Still, you have an enthusiastic new subscriber who is rushing to check out your other stuff.

[@quarelay2486]

儒家文化圈把秩序、教育、个人努力和责任制看得很重。类似社会主义的“均贫富”土地改革、唯才主义的科举制度以及世俗主义的政治体制在东亚尤其是中国有至少两千年的历史，并且经过某种程度的现代化延续了下来。其它发展中国家在文化和制度上可能较缺乏这些，而且既没有中日韩那样承接产业转移的机会成为制造业中心，也没有新加坡香港这样优越的地理位置成为金融和贸易中心。

[@joepup8348]

I don't think the reason the meritocracy/exam system was effective for state building was because of homogenization; I think its impact was more basic: It produced literate, numerate, motivated candidates for government positions who had high initiative. Contrast this to other societies in the world where such positions were filled through birthright and nepotism. Singapore is further evidence that homogeny or long history are not primary reasons for the success of these societies. Here is an ethnically, religiously, and racially diverse country which only came into being 60 years ago, whose history goes back just 200 years when the British founded it as a labor colony. And yet, in many ways it has surpassed Taiwan, South Korea and Japan in most economic and human development indicators.

[@craigrik2699]

What a load of bullshit. These societies have had historical civilisations going back thousands of years.

[@CutieZalbu]

I really love this video but I’d appreciate it even more if you didn’t interrupt his train of thought I also get a bit passionate at times & dominate the convo but I feel like he couldn’t get his thought out Like OMG