Gunnar Myrdal published his magnum opus Asian Drama, in 1968, to conclude that Asia's development prospects were gloomy. Since then, contrary to Myrdal's expectations, Asia has been transformed beyond recognition, the development of nations and living standards of people revolutionized. These transformations have been uneven across countries and unequal among people. Yet, Asia's economic progress in this short timespan has been remarkable and almost unprecedented in history.

Resurgent Asia provides an analytical narrative of Asia's incredible economic development, situated in the wider context of historical, political, and social factors. It also provides an economic analysis of underlying factors that assisted Asia's growth and the critical issues in the process of development.

Resurgent Asia studies not only the sub-regions East, Southeast, South, and West Asia, but also the major countries - China, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka - which account for more than four-fifths of Asia's population and income.