Person:
Yusuf, Shahid

Fields of Specialization

industrial development; urbanization; innovation systems; higher education

Last updated January 31, 2023

Biography

Shahid Yusuf is currently Chief Economist of The Growth Dialogue at the George Washington University School of Business in Washington DC. Prior to joining the Growth Dialogue, Dr. Yusuf was on the staff of the World Bank. During his 35-year tenure at the World Bank, Dr. Yusuf was the team leader for the World Bank-Japan project on East Asia’s Future Economy from 2000-2009. He was the Director of the World Development Report 1999/2000, Entering the 21st Century. Prior to that, he was Economic Adviser to the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist (1997-98), Lead Economist for the East Africa Department (1995-97) and Lead Economist for the China and Mongolia Department (1989-1993). Dr. Yusuf has written extensively on development issues, with a special focus on East Asia and has also published widely in various academic journals. He has authored or edited 27 books on industrial and urban development, innovation systems and tertiary education, which have been translated into a number of different languages.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 36

Changing the Industrial Geography in Asia : The Impact of China and India

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2010) Yusuf, Shahid ; Nabeshima, Kaoru

The focus of this volume is on China and India. The authors see them as the principal beneficiaries of the first upheaval, roughly bookended by the crises of 1997-98 and of 2008-09, and as being among the prime movers whose economic footprints will expand most rapidly in the coming decades. If these two countries do come close to realizing their considerable ambitions, their neighbors in Asia and their trading partners throughout the world must be ready for major adjustments. The changes in industrial geography and in the pattern of trade since the mid-1990s have already been far-reaching. Nothing on a comparable scale occurred during the preceding two decades of the 20th century. These developments offer instructive clues concerning the possible direction of changes in the future. However, in the interest of manageability, the author analysis is centered on the dynamics of industrialization, as these have a large bearing on the course of development. Within this context, reference is made to trade, foreign direct investment, and the building of technological capabilities, which together constitute a major subset of the factors responsible for the shape not only of the industrial geography of the past but also of the industrial geography yet to come. The striking feature of development in South and East Asia in the second half of the 20th century is the degree to which Japan dominated the industrial landscape and how the Japanese model triggered the first wave of industrialization in four East Asian economies-the Republic of Korea; Taiwan, China; Hong Kong, China; and Singapore. These four so-called tiger economies were the early starters, and each has become a mature industrial economy. Indeed, Hong Kong, having transferred almost all of its manufacturing activities to the Pearl River Delta, has morphed into a postindustrial economy.
Can East Asia Compete : Innovation for Global Markets

(Washington, DC: World Bank and Oxford University Press, 2002) Yusuf, Shahid ; Evenett, Simon J.

East Asian economies are at different stages of development, but to preserve-and to increase-their competitiveness through innovation and the opportunities presented by information and communication technologies (ICT), they need to move quickly to frame and implement policies in five areas. Reform and restructuring of the banking system are matters of priority: Second, corporate governance in East Asia has lagged where management skills have fallen behind, and the pressure on managements to pursue strategies aimed at maximizing shareholder value are often weak. Policies to build institutions, both legal and financial, that shore up shareholders' rights and sharpen the market for corporate control would significantly augment management capabilities. Third, in an increasingly knowledge-based economy, the supply of workers with the requisite skills and penchant for creativity will determine how much innovation takes place and how it is used to enlarge market shares. The situation requires reinforcing secondary and tertiary education, which influence analytical skills and the aptitude to innovate. Fourth, although computer use in East Asia is spreading and telecommunications facilities are improving daily, e-business and e-commerce are greatly hampered by the inadequacy of supporting services such as secure credit card transactions, fulfillment, logistics, and legal services. Finally, trade liberalization, preferably multilateral trade reform, needs to be actively pursued.
Global Production Networking and Technological Change in East Asia

(Washington, DC: World Bank and Oxford University Press, 2004) Yusuf, Shahid ; Altaf, M. Anjum ; Nabeshima, Kaoru ; Yusuf, Shahid ; Altaf, M. Anjum ; Nabeshima, Kaoru

This book examines the effects of the changing global geography of production for the growth prospects of East Asian economies. The authors conclude that in the face of a global environment, economies in East Asia need to adapt to the changing character of global production networks and to nurture and develop technological capabilities in order to sustain their growth prospects. This is the third volume in a series of publications from a study co-sponsored by the Government of Japan and the World Bank to examine the sources of economic growth in East Asia. The study was initiated in 1999 with the objective of identifying the most promising path to development in the light of global and regional changes.
Rethinking the East Asian Miracle

(Washington, DC: World Bank and Oxford University Press, 2001-06) Stiglitz, Joseph E. ; Yusuf, Shahid

Initially, the intention of this book's work, was to take a fresh look at East Asia's regional experience during the 1990s, and to expand, and revise as necessary the findings of the World Bank's "East Asian Miracle", (published in 1993). However, while work began in 1997 - when the East Asian crisis was only a small, localized cloud over Thailand - the seriousness of the crisis demonstrated the need to bring together a number of different perspectives on key aspects of the East Asian model, and its several country variants. The book assesses the evolving experience with industrial policies, in the forms implemented by individual countries in the region, examines in depth how the Chinese experience meshes with those of other economies in the region - a dimension absent in the "East Asian Miracle" - and, the rich evidence from the 1990s, casts new light on the relative contribution of export-led policies, and of import liberalization to growth, while helping to clarify key issues that influence the choices of exchange rate policies. Taking into account the realization that understanding the East Asian development requires admittance of the political economy of change, of governance, and of the roles of key institutions, the contributors to this book, considered each of these carefully, and offer an economic kaleidoscope on East Asia that is deep, and analytically rigorous.
Innovative East Asia : The Future of Growth

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2003-03) Yusuf, Shahid

This is the main volume in a series of publications based on a study cosponsored by the government of Japan and the World Bank to examine the future sources of economic growth in East Asia. The study was initiated in 2000 with the objective of identifying the most promising path to development in light of emerging global and regional changes, signaled by the crisis of 1997-98 and the challenges faced by the crisis-hit countries as they sought to resume rapid growth. This volume explores each issue and consequent policy choices in greater detail. The principal message is that sustained economic growth in East Asia will rest on retaining the strengths of the past -stability, openness, investment, human capital development- on overcoming the sources of current weakness in financial, corporate, judicial, and social sectors, and on implementing the changes required by the evolving economic environment. East Asia needs to sustain its hard-earned stability by recalibrating its fiscal and exchange rate policies. Strengthening social safety nets and governance, and invigorating financial, regulatory, and legal institutions. Yet these are only preconditions; future economic performance will depend on keying growth to productivity.
Facets of Globalization : International and Local Dimensions of Development

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2001-10) Yusuf, Shahid ; Evenett, Simon ; Wu, Weiping ; Yusuf, Shahid ; Evenett, Simon ; Wu, Weiping

The chapters in this volume underscore the transformative role of globalization and urbanization, and show the interplay between these forces. Trade reform and liberalized foreign investment regimess have contributed to the spatial reallocation of economic activity toward cities, especially those cities that can attract and nurture human capital and strong connections to other markets. Global factors have, therefore, reinforced agglomeration economies in shifting economic clout toward cities, and in so doing they may be exacerbating regional disparities in incomes. The rise of cities is changing political dynamics in developing nations. It is forcing a reappraisal of existing constitutional structures and center-local relations, as well as the important--and perhaps more mundane-- arrangements for funding and organizing investment by subnational entities. At the same time, democratization is reinforcing the pressures for local autonomy. This perspective shifts the debate away from whether or not globalization is undermining the role of the central state and toward one about the appropriate allocation of responsibilities and resources to different layers of government. Strong arguments support the position that municipalities can, with the appropriate resources and political structures to ensure their responsiveness to local needs, make substantial improvements in the well-being of urban residents. Experience suggests that some state functions ought to remain with government.
Growth through Innovation : An Industrial Strategy for Shanghai

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-04-22) Yusuf, Shahid ; Nabeshima, Kaoru

In broad terms, the sources of economic growth are well understood but relatively few countries have succeeded in effectively harnessing this knowledge for policy purposes so as to sustain high rates of growth over an extended period of time (commission on growth and development 2008; Yusuf 2009a). This study argues, however, that a high growth strategy which puts technology upgrading and innovation at the center might warrant a different approach from the one currently favored. It derives from the experience of global cities such as New York and London and the empirical research on industrial performance and on innovation. This has yielded four significant findings: first, monosectoral services based economies grow slowly because they benefit less from increases in productivity and from innovation. Second, manufacturing industries producing complex capital goods, electronic equipment, and sophisticated components are more Research and Development (R&D) intensive, generate many more innovations, are more export oriented, have a solid track record of rising productivity, and having achieved competitiveness, are in a better position to sustain it because the entry barriers to these industries tend to be higher. By giving rise to dense backward and forward linkages these industries can serve as the nuclei of urban clusters and maximize employment generation. Third, industrial cities create many more jobs for a middle class and tend to have a more equal distribution of income than cities which are dominated by services. Fourth, and finally, cities with a world class tertiary education and research infrastructure linked to industry, are more resilient in the face of shocks, more innovative, and better able to reinvent themselves.
Globalization and the Challenge for Developing Countries

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-06) Yusuf, Shahid

Rsearch on the sources of growth shows several factors to be relevant to all countries, rich or poor. Whether developing countries can substantially raise per capita incomes depends on policies that address these variables: labor, human capital, capital investment in research and development, technological progress, and the increase in total factor productivity arising from scale economies, the effects of agglomeration, externalities, and institutions that secure rights and minimize transaction costs. The author argues that a comprehensive approach to globalization, managed, and abetted by good policies, can magnify the effects of growth-promoting measures. Among his observations: 1) Returns from investment in skills are much greater in a more technologically advanced and integrated economy. 2) Trade, by enlarging markets, reinforces those gains, and the option to migrate further augments the value of skills. The growing worldwide gap in income between skilled and unskilled workers suggests how much more fruitful skills are under globalization. 3) A 50 percent increase (or even a doubling) in growth rates demands a vast amount of capital, embodying modern technology and the knowledge needed to put it to best use. The international economy can be a source of such capital. 4) Openness, combined with spatially neutral domestic policies and the scaling back of regulatory constraints on domestic business activities, can unleash the full force of agglomeration economies and networking externalities, allowing industrial clusters to emerge in metropolitan regions. 5) Openness is also the best way for low-income countries to tap into technologies that will galvanize agriculture (low-income countries' economic center) and manufacturing activities and nourish indigenous technological advance. 6) No research convincingly makes the case for delaying openness or for sequencing the various elements of openness. A good case can be made for embracing all the key elements of globalization at the same time--while sequencing (where needed) the pace of integration in such areas as trade and finance.
Shanghai Rising in a Globalizing World

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-06) Yusuf, Shahid ; Wu, Weiping

In a globalizing world, cities at or near the apex of the international urban hierarchy are among the favored few--New York, London, and Tokyo--that have acquired large economic, cultural, and symbolic roles. Among a handful of regions that aspire to such a role--such as Hong Kong, Miami, and Sao Paulo--Shanghai has reasonable long-term prospects. If the Chinese economy can sustain its growth rate, it will rival the United States in a few decades. And if Shanghai can sustain its preeminence in China, it is the Asian city most likely to become a global center. The authors explore the makings of a world city, identify ingredients essential for that status, indicate national and municipal policies that may set Shanghai on the path to being a global city, and show how such policies are being implemented. As urbanization continues, the authors say, and as information technology and finance-related service activities take on even more importance, the number of regional and global centers could increase, but only if they satisfy some exacting requirements. Shanghai's chances, for example, depend on the extent to which China opens up and on a host of municipal policies--policies that emphasize Shanghai's industrial strength, substantially enlarge its base of information technology and producer services, ensure an adequate supply of skills, expand available housing and infrastructure enough to meet demand, and improve the quality of life.
What Makes Cities Healthy?

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007-01) Yusuf, Shahid ; Nabeshima, Kaoru ; Ha, Wei

The benefits of good health to individuals and to society are strongly positive and improving the health of the poor is a key Millennium Development Goal. A typical health strategy advocated by some is increased public spending on health targeted to favor the poor and backed by foreign assistance, as well as by an international effort to perfect drugs and vaccines to ameliorate infectious diseases bedeviling the developing nations. But if the objective is better health outcomes at the least cost and a reduction in urban health inequity, the authors' research suggests that the four most potent policy interventions are: water and sanitation systems; urban land use and transport planning; effective primary care and health programs aimed at influencing diets and lifestyles; and education. The payoff from these four in terms of health outcomes dwarf the returns from new drugs and curative hospital-based medicine, although these certainly have their place in a modern urban health system. And the authors find that the resource requirements for successful health care policies are likely to depend on an acceleration of economic growth rates which increase household purchasing power and enlarge the pool of resources available to national and subnational governments to invest in health-related infrastructure and services. Thus, an acceleration of growth rates may be necessary to sustain a viable urban health strategy which is equitable and to ensure steady gains in health outcomes.