This book provides a detailed analysis of the development of education and training systems in Asia and the relationship with the process of economic growth. Focus is on four impoverished agrarian economies--Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan--that were transformed in little more than a generation into East Asian "tigers": industrialized, comparatively affluent enclaves. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 examines existing theories about the part played by education and training in the growth of East Asian economies. It argues for a political economy approach and sets out the basics of a model of developmental skill formation. Chapters 3-6 provide detailed accounts of the development of education and training policy and institutions in the tigers from the period of post-war revival through to the late 1990s. The development of policy is set against the backdrop of the changing economy. Focus is on institutional mechanisms that deliver system responsiveness and sequencing of policies. Chapter 7 asks whether there is a "Four Tigers" model of skill formation and suggests that the Four Tigers conform to the framework of a developmental skills formation model. Chapter 8 examines whether the model of developmental skill formation can be applied to other developing countries. Appendixes contain a list of authorities (individuals) consulted; glossary; chapter notes; 255-item bibliography; and name and subject indexes. (YLB)