Joe Studwell

Joe Studwell is a journalist and author who has spent more than 25 years working in East Asia. He was the founding editor of China Economic Quarterly, the leading English-language journal focused on the Chinese economy. He also co-founded the Asian research and advisory firm Dragonomics, now known as GaveKal Dragonomics, where he served as a director.

Studwell is the author of several influential books on economic development and political economy in Asia and beyond. His works include The China Dream: The Quest for the Greatest Untapped Market on Earth (2002), Asian Godfathers: Money and Power in Hong Kong and South-East Asia (2007), and How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World’s Most Dynamic Region (2013). The latter two titles were longlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year. Since its publication, How Asia Works has become one of the most influential books on industrial policy in the 21st century. In it, Studwell contrasts the rapid industrialisation of Northeast Asia – Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, with less successful development strategies pursued in parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The book was named an Economist Book of the Year, and Bill Gates has described it as one of his favourite works on economic development.

His most recent book, How Africa Works: Success and Failure on the World’s Last Developmental Frontier, examines the historical and structural forces shaping economic development across Africa. Drawing on themes ranging from settler colonialism and land ownership to mineral extraction, agricultural productivity, disease control, and state capacity, Studwell analyses development trajectories across the continent through case studies including Rwanda and Botswana. The book argues that reclaiming control over land, labour, and state institutions has been central to unlocking broad-based economic development. It has been widely praised by leading policymakers and scholars, including Bill Gates, Justin Yifu Lin, Dani Rodrik, Antoinette Handley, Clare Short, and Jakkie Cilliers, and described by the Financial Times as a “dazzling reassessment.”

Studwell is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in London. He holds a PhD in Global Business and Development from the University of Cambridge.