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This paper draws on both successful and failing cases of industrialization in China to analyse the role of local governments in fostering the growth of light manufacturing. The broad spectrum of support types and the intimate knowledge of enterprise conditions by these local governments make their support effective particularly for the business expansion and cluster development. Local government policies toward enterprises are dynamic and tailor to the needs that arise at the various stages of the life cycles of firms, from start-up to growth and maturity. Government assistance has not always involved spending money. The successful outcome is a result of 'backing the winner' approach.

Based on a wide array of quantitative and qualitative techniques, Light Manufacturing in Vietnam identifies key constraints on manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam and evaluates differences in firm performance across China and Vietnam. The authors argue that, to continue on the high economic growth path of the past, Vietnam needs to address fundamental structural issues in the manufacturing sector that have been masked by this growth. Furthermore, addressing these issues would also help Vietnam move up the higher-value added chain and avoid the middle-income trap that other East Asian economies have experienced.

Despite widespread agreement among economists that labor-intensive manufacturing has contributed mightily to rapid development in China and other fast-growing economies, most developing countries have had little success in raising the share of manufacturing in production, employment, or exports. Tales from the Development Frontier recounts efforts to establish light manufacturing clusters in several Asian and African countries, looking in particular at China. A companion volume to Light Manufacturing in Africa-which laid out a strategy for injecting new industrial growth nodes into African eco