We use newly released data on Japanese hospitals to explore patients’ perceptions of hospital quality, the implications of these assessments for the structure of demand for hospital care, and the role of the availability and quality of hospital care in influencing access. We find that the primary influences on hospital choice for Japanese patients are interpersonal aspects of care, that Japanese hospital markets are not segmented, and that availability has no influence on access. These results are interpreted in light of institutional differences between the Japanese and American health care systems.

Reprint from Competitiveness in International Food Markets, 1994.

Income inequalities between urban and rural areas remain high in China, but the gap has begun to narrow. Peasant incomes have increased dramatically since the post-Mao reforms. Rural areas have new power, but this is a consequence not a cause of the reforms. The improvement in rural conditions reflects a change in the central state's development strategy and ideology, and the local response to incentives embedded in China's reforms.

Reprint of a National Research Council Report, 1992.

This book reviews the evolution of strategic alliances involving U.S. and Japanese companies in the semiconductor industry and analyzes whether alliances can contribute to the renewal of an industry faced with stiff competition from Japan. It includes case studies, alternative future scenarios, and suggestions for government and industry.