South-east Asian transport : issues in development /

This book provides a readable, well-written overview of the transportation systems in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The authors begin with a very general review of the role of transport in national economic development, with data drawn from these six nations. Separate chapters follow describing, in each country, road and rail systems, marine transport, ports, air transport, urban transport, and a too brief integrative closing chapter. The book succeeds in describing the history and levels of service, use, and investment in transport in these countries, but it does not develop new ground or cover well old ground linking transport investment with economic development. In fact, the discussion devolves into more general transport-planning issues, such as investment criteria relating to efficiency within the transport sector (in line with much better known and more limited contributions of the various modes to economic development). The book is descriptive, not prescriptive. The problems are complex, and the authors do not take strong (or foolish) positions. There is no comparable recent or standard book. The bibliography, references, and index are excellent. There are a few maps and tables, but no pictures. Upper-division and graduate collections. -D. Brand, Harvard University