"Governance in the Asia-Pacific" is a student-friendly text which examines the governance of nation states in this diverse region. It shows the wealth of similarities and differences between the styles and characteristics of governing within the area. The range of political values, beliefs and styles that flourish is substantial and the book addresses this diversity in its coverage. There are chapters on the role of communism, the Anglo-Saxon powers, Japan, independence movements, the politics of economic development, social movements, the politics of the environment and the pressures for political change in the region. The authors also identify factors which explain the political underpinning of the dramatic economic development.