Greening industries in newly industrialising countries: Asian-style leapfrogging?

This paper provides an introduction to the six contributions in this edited volume. An overview is given of the main issues, debates and concepts on the greening of industries in Newly Industrialising Economies (NIE or NIC) with particular reference to China, Taiwan and Singapore. The rapid economic development of these economies over the past decade has been achieved at substantial environmental costs. Scholars have debated the question of whether NICs are able to leapfrog the 'dirty' stages of development, by incorporating environmental reform measures - implementing market-based instruments, transfer of green technology, the use of decentralised, voluntary and consensual policy approaches - also adopted by economies with older industrial bases in Western Europe and North America. From the various contributions, however, it appears that the NICs - first and second generations alike - are not truly situated in a more favourable position that allows leapfrogging in the greening of industries.