Prevailing approaches to policy issues in many Western countries in recent decades have
reflected a characteristic cost of mind - neoclassical in economics, liberal and individualistic in politics,
value neutral and universalistic in policy. This paper analyses some of the foundations of this cast of
mind, deep-seated in Western intellectual history, and reviews work in several different areas pointing to a
strikingly different paradigm. This analysis is set in the context of the rise of Asian nations with quite
different diverse traditions, and the consequent need for effective interchange across cultural barriers.