Uchumi wa "Tiger" ulikuwa neno lililobuniwa kueleza Korea Kusini, Singapore, Hong Kong, na Taiwan, ambazo zilipata ukuaji wa haraka na maendeleo ya viwanda katika miaka ya 1960 na 1970. Tiger hizi nne zina sifa nyingi zinazofanana na uchumi mwingine wa Asia, kama vile China na Japan, na zilianzisha kile ambacho sasa kinaonekana kuwa mbinu ya "Kiasia" ya maendeleo ya kiuchumi, yaani uchumi unaotegemea mauzo ya nje. Nchi na maeneo haya yalilenga kutengeneza bidhaa za kuuzwa nje kwa Magharibi iliyoendelea kiviwanda, huku matumizi ya ndani yakikatishwa tamaa kupitia sera za serikali.

The ‘tiger’ economy was a term coined to describe South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan who underwent rapid growth and industrialisation in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The four Tigers share a range of characteristics with other Asian economies, such as China and Japan, and pioneered what has come to be seen as a particularly “Asian” approach to economic development, that of an export driven economy. These countries and territories focused on developing goods for export to the industrialised West and domestic consumption was discouraged through government policies.

Ukiangalia kwa karibu maendeleo ya mataifa kama haya, inaonekana kwamba maendeleo yao yalikuwa jambo linaloongozwa zaidi na serikali kuu, likiungwa mkono na ruzuku kubwa za serikali na sera za ulinzi wa soko la ndani ili kufikia maendeleo.

A closer look at the development of such nations shows their development was a largely centrally driven affair with huge government subsidies and protectionist policies to achieve development.

Baada ya kupata uhuru mwaka 1965, Singapore ilikabiliwa na uhaba wa rasilimali za kimwili na soko dogo la ndani. Kukabiliana na hali hiyo, Serikali ya Singapore ilianzisha Bodi ya Maendeleo ya Uchumi mwaka 1968, ambapo mikakati ya kitaifa ya kiuchumi iliandaliwa ili kukuza sekta ya utengenezaji ya Singapore. Utawala wa Singapore ulipunguza ukosefu wa ajira na kuinua kiwango cha maisha kupitia utekelezaji wa mpango mkubwa wa nyumba za umma, pamoja na kupitishwa kwa sera ya kiuchumi inayounga mkono biashara, uwekezaji wa kigeni na usafirishaji nje, pamoja na uwekezaji unaoongozwa na serikali katika mashirika ya kimkakati yanayomilikiwa na serikali. Uingiliaji wa serikali ulicheza nafasi ya moja kwa moja katika kuelekeza uchumi wa Singapore kuelekea vifaa vya elektroniki vya hali ya juu, kemikali na sekta ya huduma. Serikali ya Singapore iliongoza uchumi kupitia kampuni zinazohusishwa na Temasek (TLCs). Hizi ni kampuni zinazofanya kazi kama mifuko ya utajiri ya kitaifa. TLCs zilianzishwa hasa katika utengenezaji, zikifanya kazi kama vyombo vya kibiashara, na zilichangia asilimia 60 ya Pato la Taifa (GDP).

Upon independence in 1965, Singapore was faced with a lack of physical resources and a small domestic market. In response, the Singapore Government set up the Economic Development Board in 1968 where national economic strategies were formulated to promote Singapore’s manufacturing sector. The Singaporean administration curbed unemployment and raised the standard of living through the implementation of a large-scale public housing programme, alongside the adoption of a pro-business, pro-foreign investment, export-oriented economic policy combined with state-directed investments in strategic government-owned corporations. State intervention played a direct role in steering the Singapore economy towards high end electronics, chemicals and service industry. The Singapore government directed the economy through Temasek-linked companies (TLCs). These are companies which act as sovereign wealth funds. TLCs were established particularly in manufacturing, operating as commercial entities and accounted for 60% of GDP.

Maendeleo ya Taiwan yalianza baada ya Vita vya Pili vya Dunia wakati utawala wa Kuomintang (viongozi wa kwanza wa Taiwan) ulipoanzisha mipango na sera kadhaa za kiuchumi ili kuendeleza uchumi wa visiwa vidogo. Sera mpya ya sarafu ilianzishwa, na zaidi ya hayo msaada mkubwa kutoka Marekani ulisaidia maendeleo ya haraka ya uchumi. Serikali iliingilia moja kwa moja uchumi kwa sera ya kubadilisha bidhaa zilizoingizwa (import substitution), ikichukua kile kilichopatikana kutoka sekta ya kilimo ili kuunga mkono sekta ya viwanda, ikibadilisha mauzo ya nje ya bidhaa za kilimo kuwa fedha za kigeni ili kuagiza mashine za viwandani, na hivyo kuendeleza sekta ya viwanda. Serikali iliongeza ushuru, ilidhibiti fedha za kigeni na kuzuia uagizaji wa bidhaa kutoka nje ili kulinda viwanda vya ndani. Kufikia miaka ya 1960, sekta ya kubadilisha bidhaa zilizoingizwa ya Taiwan ilikabiliwa na tatizo la soko la ndani kujaa, na kwa sababu hiyo sera ya kiuchumi ya Taiwan ilibadilika kwa lengo la kupanua mauzo ya nje. Kupitia miradi kumi mikubwa ya ujenzi ya Waziri Mkuu Chiang Ching-kuo na kuanzishwa kwa eneo la kwanza la usindikaji wa bidhaa za kuuza nje barani Asia, msingi uliwekwa kwa maendeleo ya viwanda vizito nchini Taiwan.

Taiwanese development began after World War 2 when the Kuomintang regime (first leaders of Taiwan) established several economic plans and policies to develop the small islands economy. A new currency policy was initiated and in addition huge aid from the US aided the rapid development of the economy. The government directly intervened in the economy with an import substitution policy, taking what was obtained by the agriculture sector to give support to the industrial sector, trading agricultural product exports for foreign currency to import industrial machinery, thus developing the industrial sector. The government raised tariffs, controlled foreign exchange and restricted imports in order to protect domestic industry. By the 1960s, Taiwan's import exchange industry was faced with the problem of saturating the domestic market and consequently, the economic policy of Taiwan changed to pursue export expansion. Through the premier Chiang Ching-kuo's 10 major construction projects and the establishment of Asia’s first export processing zone the basis was laid for heavy industrial development in Taiwan.

Korea Kusini ilifuata mkakati unaofanana wa uingiliaji wa serikali kuu. Mwaka 1961 mpango wa kwanza kati ya mipango mingi ya miaka 5 ulianzishwa na serikali kuu, kwa kuwa ni serikali kuu peke yake, na si soko huru, iliyokuwa na uwezo au rasilimali za kuongoza mabadiliko makubwa kama hayo kwa muda mfupi. Uchumi ulitawaliwa na kundi la makampuni makubwa binafsi yaliyojulikana kama chaebol, na pia uliungwa mkono na idadi kubwa ya mashirika ya umma katika sekta kama chuma, chuma cha pua, huduma za umma, mawasiliano, mbolea, kemikali na viwanda vingine vizito. Serikali iliongoza sekta binafsi kupitia mfululizo wa malengo ya mauzo ya nje na uzalishaji, ikitumia udhibiti wa mikopo, njia zisizo rasmi za shinikizo na ushawishi, pamoja na sera za jadi za fedha na bajeti.

South Korea pursued a similar strategy of central government intervention. In 1961 the first of many 5 year plans were initiated by central government, as only it rather than the free market had the capacity or resources to direct such drastic change in a short time. The economy was dominated by a group of large private conglomerates, known as chaebol, and was also supported by a significant number of public corporations in areas such as iron, steel, utilities, communications, fertilisers, chemicals, and other heavy industries. The government guided private industry through a series of export and production targets utilising the control of credit, informal means of pressure and persuasion, and traditional monetary and fiscal policies.

Kufikia 1965, serikali kuu ilipanua udhibiti wake juu ya biashara kwa kutaifisha benki na kuunganisha harakati ya ushirika wa kilimo na benki ya kilimo. Udhibiti wa moja kwa moja wa serikali juu ya mikopo yote ya taasisi uliongeza zaidi nguvu yake juu ya jumuiya ya wafanyabiashara. Bodi ya Mipango ya Kiuchumi, iliyoundwa mwaka 1961 na kuongozwa na naibu waziri mkuu, ilitenga rasilimali, ilielekeza mtiririko wa mikopo, na ilitengeneza mipango yote ya kiuchumi ya Korea Kusini.

Central government by 1965 extended its control over business by nationalising banks and merging the agricultural cooperative movement with the agricultural bank. The government’s direct control over all institutional credit further extended its command over the business community. The Economic Planning Board created in 1961, headed by a deputy prime minister allocated resources, directed the flow of credit, and formulated all of South Korea's economic plans.

Uchumi wa simbamarara wa Asia ulikua kwa kiasi kikubwa kupitia uingiliaji mkubwa wa serikali, ambao ulichukua nafasi muhimu na unaonekana kama uti wa mgongo wa maendeleo yao. Taiwan, Singapore na Hong Kong zilifuata mikakati kama hiyo, na hili linaonyesha wazi kwamba ubepari wa kawaida haukufuatwa ili kuendelea, bali uingiliaji wa serikali ndio uliowaongoza simbamarara wa Asia hadi katika nafasi walizonazo leo. Uchumi wa simbamarara hawa ni, kimsingi, uchumi wa watumiaji ambapo mauzo ya nje ndiyo injini inayoendesha.

The Asian tigers developed with large aspects of government intervention, which played an important role and is seen as the backbone to their progress. Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong followed similar strategies and this clearly shows orthodox capitalism was not followed in order to develop but rather government intervention has steered the Asian tigers into the positions they are in today. The tiger economies are fundamentally consumer economies where exports are the driving engine.