How Asia Works
How Asia Works by Joe Studwellby Joe Studwell
Shares rank 10 of 19 economics books by recommenders
Recommended as a good, engaging book on how East Asian economies developed, with readers finding its history fascinating even when new to the subject.
Recommended as a good, engaging book on how East Asian economies developed, with readers finding its history fascinating even when new to the subject.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Engaging history for newcomers
“I was completely ignorant of this chunk of history & found it fascinating”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Recommended alongside Kicking Away the Ladder
“"Kicking Away The Ladder" and "How Asia Works" are good books about this.”
Comment from 22 Mar 2026 in “'The Secret Agent': Exploring a Vibrant, yet Violent Brazil”
Other economics books people recommend
The four most recommended other economics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital in the Twenty-First Centuryby Thomas Piketty | 12 | 6 | 67% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Why Nations Failby Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Progress and Povertyby Henry George | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Free to Chooseby Milton Friedman | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| How Asia Worksby Joe StudwellThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I was completely ignorant of this chunk of history & found it fascinating”
“"Kicking Away The Ladder" and "How Asia Works" are good books about this.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.