Lessons Learned from the Advanced Developing Countries. GENESYS Special Studies No. 3.

This paper examines the experience of development in the advanced developing countries in Asia from a gender perspective and draws some lessons for women in development policy in middle income countries in the Asian and Near East regions. The nature of the paper is exploratory, asking many questions on which further research and information are needed. The policy recommendations also are tentative. The data analysis is primarily from the four counties of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. All are in the middle or upper national income level category, in world terms. Some data also are presented for Thailand, the Philippines, Egypt, and Jordan to indicate certain inter-country differences in women's economic status. The pattern of rapid economic growth in the four most advanced developing countries (4MADC) has been linked causally to a greater extent than usually is acknowledged with women's economic participation. These economies studied have a very high proportion of women in the formal labor force in general and in the industrial work force in particular. Work force participation by women in these countries reflects the export intensity of production in the industrial sector, and the fact that worldwide, expansion of export manufacturing by developing countries has demanded and created a female workforce. This paper includes an executive summary, seven chapters, and a bibliography. (EH)