Japan and the United States as development models - Classifying Asia Pacific and Latin American political economics

According to Fernando Fajnzylber, the political economies of Japan and the United States present distinct characteristics in areas such as their consumption patterns, income distribution, trade orientation, and economic dynamism. These characteristics provide a model for emulation by their East Asian and Latin American neighbors, respectively. Although some of the attributions and associations alleged seem obvious, others are more questionable and controversial. This article employs cluster methodology to undertake an empirical analysis with the aim of classifying and delineating the relevant political economics. Contrary to expectation, there is scant support for the proposition that Japan and the United States present two divergent prototypes of a development model. Similarly, the Latin American countries have not followed the U.S. model of development as hypothesized, although they do differ sharply from the East Asian political economies.