The Burma Development Disaster in Comparative Historical Perspective1

This paper reviews the post-independence performance of the Burmese economy. It is argued that the devastation of war and the slow pace of economic recovery after 1950 meant that Burma took a very long time even to regain levels of per capita GDP which had been attained in the 1930s. There has been very little change in the sectoral shares of either national product or the labour force. The paper explores the reasons for this longterm stagnation, and examines the implications for long-term changes in living standards. Comparisons are also made with other countries in Southeast Asia.