Developmental State In South Korea Research Articles

Social Structure and Conflicting Elite Interest

This paper is a comparative study of the elite capture in Pakistan and the developmental structure in South Korea. The paper seeks to examine: why does the Pakistani state remain captured by social actors, despite similar post-colonial geopolitical trajectories of Pakistan and South Korea, failing to set up a developmental state and transform into an Asian tiger? On the other hand, South Korea was able to become a developmental state and achieved high rates of social and economic growth, uplifting the living standards of the vast majority of its population. It identifies social structure and conflicting elite interest as twin independent variables explaining the divergent (outcome) dependent variable of a developmental state in South Korea and a predatory state in Pakistan. This paper refutes the neoliberal school of thought that attributes the success of the East Asian Tigers to market forces rather than the role of the state. It aligns itself with the developmental state theory and neo-statist approach emphasizing on state intervention to explain the phenomenon of the East Asian economic miracle and likewise, the failure of Pakistan to achieve similar levels of socioeconomic growth.

Transforming the East Asian developmental state: Democratic mobilisation and the role of the middle class

Many studies have noted the reduction in the effectiveness of the East Asian developmental state in formulating growth-promoting policy in South Korea and Taiwan. Current literature attributes the transformation of the developmental state model to the rise of business elites and organised labour. This article argues that another type of social actor – the middle class – also contributed to the state’s reduced capability in directing economic development. Unlike business elites and organised labour who directly challenge the state’s policy decision, the middle class forces East Asian ruling elites to democratise the political system of a country. The democratic transition pushed by the middle class consequently facilitates the emergence of policy constraints on the state’s economic decision-making process. I elaborate this argument in the two divergent cases: the transformation of the developmental state in South Korea and the non-transformation of the developmental state in Singapore.

POR TRÁS DO MITO DA BURGUESIA NACIONAL: UMA ANÁLISE COMPARATIVA DO ESTADO DESENVOLVIMENTISTA NO BRASIL E NA COREIA DO SUL

Since the 1990s, many analysts have sought to explain the differences in development paths between Brazil and South Korea, the latter often being pointed as an example of success. As a highly industrialized economy focused on international trade, the South Korean case stood out as a way of overcoming the backwardness of developing countries. However, there is a need for analysis that point to the specificities of the developmental state in South Korea, whose interventionist action was decisive in leveraging the country’s industrial production in accordance with internal business groups, as well as the geopolitical context favorable to outward-oriented industrialization. The Brazilian process, in turn, due to the wealth of natural resources and the large domestic market, has made the induction of the state in industrialization more artificial, whose policy supposes an element of coercion, induction and control. This research, therefore, seeks to analyze the specific dimensions of each case, highlighting the role of the state and its relationship with the internal bourgeoisie in the construction of an industrial policy. The trajectories of rise and decline of Brazilian and South Korean developmental state will be analyzed, including the current crisis of reconfiguration of political power that both countries are going through.

개발국가의 재일교포 표상과 젠더 : 1960~70년대 대중미디어에 나타난 재일교포 남성과 한국 여성의 만남의 서사를 중심으로

이 연구는 1960~70년대 영화를 중심으로 한국의 대중미디어에 나타난 재일교포 남성과 한국 여성의 만남의 서사에 대한 분석을 통해 개발국가 시기 재일교포 표상의 변화와 이와 결부된 젠더 담론의 작동을 드러내는 것을 중심 내용으로 한다. 이것은 한편으로는 4.19 이후 시작된 재일교포 남성과 한국 여성의 만남의 서사가 개발국가 시기의 공론장에서 비가시화된 맥락과 배경을 대중미디어 분석을 통해 규명하는 작업이며, 다른 한편으로는 이를 통해 그동안 재일한인 이주사에서 누락되어온 재일교포와 결혼한 한국여성들의 존재를 발굴하고 부상시키려는 시도이다.BR 방법론의 측면에서 이 연구는 개발국가 시기 한국의 대중미디어에 재현된 재일교포남성과 한국 여성의 만남의 서사에 대한 담론 분석을 중심으로 한다. 주요 분석 대상은 재일교포와 한국 여성의 연애와 결혼이 서사의 중심축을 이루고 있는 세 편의 영화, 「동경서 온 사나이」(1962), 「사랑은 파도를 타고」(1967), 「나와 나」(1973)이다. 본문에서는 위 세 편의 영화와 관련 신문 · 잡지 기사에 대한 분석을 통해 재일교포 남성과 교제하는 한국 여성들이 개발국가 시기에 붐에 휩쓸렸거나, 외국병에 걸렸거나, 배금주의에 젖은 존재로 재현되고 있었음을 드러낸다. 더불어 대중미디어의 재현에서 나타난 이러한 경향을 재일교포와 한국 여성의 만남의 서사가 개발국가의 초남성성(hypermasculinity)에 의해 잠식되어 갔다는 관점에서 분석한다. 이러한 작업은 재일교포와 결혼한 한국 여성들의 존재를 이주사에 위치짓기 위한 선행작업으로서의 의의도 갖는다.

Book Review] The Roots of Militarism and the Origins of the Developmental State in South Korea

Book Review] The Roots of Militarism and the Origins of the Developmental State in South Korea

개발국가의 해외이주 정책과 젠더

이 연구는 재외한인 정책의 현재적 특성이 개발국가의 역사적 경험에서 비롯된다는 점에 착안, 한국에서 해외이주가 확장된 시기(1962~1987년)의 출국자 통계 추이와 해외이주를 규정하는 프레임들을 젠더 관점에서 분석한다. 출국자 통계의 흐름을 보면 해외이주가 증가함과 동시에 여성은 이민 목적, 남성은 취업 목적으로 이주 경로가 분리되는 경향이 나타난다. 그런데 이주 목적지별로 나누어 고찰해보면 또 다른 성별 차이가 발견된다. 1970년대 초반까지는 유럽 및 아시아로 해외취업한 여성들이 증가하였지만 이후 점차 감소하고, 대신 연고형 이민이 늘어났다. 개발 초기 여성의 해외취업을 ‘생존의 여성화’ 차원에서 재조명해볼 필요가 있음이 드러난다. 한편, 이 시기 해외이주를 인식하는 지배적 프레임을 분석하기 위해서는 신문기사를 수집하여 분석하였다. 담론분석을 통해 세 가지 프레임을 발견했는데, 해외이주를 경제개발을 위한 인력수출로 보는 시각, 국제결혼이나 이민의 부작용을 여성화하는 프레임, 그리고 이주자를 개척자와 도피자로 양분함으로써 ‘이주의 자격’을 국위선양 여부에 따라 구분하는 프레임이다. 한국 여성들의 다양한 이주 경험은 국위선양과 개척형 이주를 상상하는 개발국가의 남성중심적 프레임, 국가 민족주의의 틀 안에서 왜곡되거나 배제되어 왔으며, 특히 생존을 위한 여성의 다중적 역할이나 유급 및 무급 노동에 대한 기여는 비가시화된다. 단순한 순혈주의와는 다른, 개발시기의 국가 민족주의와 결합된 개발 프레임의 광범위한 영향력과 젠더 편향성을 보다 정교하게 비판하고 극복할 수 있는 여성주의적 접근이 필요하며, 그러한 기반 위에서 한국 여성들의 해외이주 경험을 새롭게 재조명하는 연구가 가능해질 것이다.

Policing Reform in the South Korean Maritime Police After the Sewol Ferry Disaster

SummaryThe disbanding of the Maritime Police was the Korean President's political attempt to avoid blame after the Sewol ferry accident. Under the government reorganization bill, which was drafted by the government and submitted to the National Assembly, the Maritime Police will be renamed the Maritime Safety Agency and put under the control of the newly created ministry of national safety. Furthermore, the Maritime Police's investigation and intelligence functions will be transferred to the National Police Agency, and its roles of rescue operations and maritime security will be moved to the new national safety body. The reality of this policing reform is closer to “organization succession” than it is to “organization termination.” Borrowing the concept of blame avoidance, we will examine the nature, causes, and consequences of the blame observed in this process of policing reform, which is intertwined with the historical background of the developmental state in South Korea. In this study, we expect to acquire important lessons about how the reformation of police organizations was used by the Korean government as an instrument for responding to disaster by providing new insights into the study of the complex forms of political interactions among multiple stakeholders in times of crisis. In particular, we will try to understand the causes and effects of this extreme case, the Sewol ferry accident, and the subsequent disintegration of the Maritime Police Agency through the perspective of the Korean police bureaucracy and the developmental states. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Origins of the Developmental State in South Korea: A Reexamination of the Park Chung-Hee Myth

The developmental state literature emphasises the importance of state autonomy and capacity, with a particular focus on the Weberian type of meritocratic bureaucracy. Existing studies of South Korea’s economic development generally credit Park Chung-hee for establishing such a state. I question this common wisdom with careful process tracing of the development of a meritocratic bureaucracy in the country. My findings suggest that the contrast between the predatory Rhee regime (1948–60) and the developmental Park regime (1961–79) has been exaggerated. Meritocracy in South Korea’s bureaucratic recruitment and promotion systems developed gradually over several decades, including during Rhee’s regime as well as the short democratic episode (1960–61). What then explains the evolution of a developmental state in Korea? Land reform contributed to not only creating social structural conditions favorable to state autonomy but also promoting the development of a meritocratic bureaucracy by propelling the rapid expansion of education and by mitigating the extent of political clientelism.

Whither the Developmental State in South Korea? Balancing Welfare and Neoliberalism

Scholars of political economy have been debating the role of the Korean state in the economic development of the country, as the characteristics of a developmental state, a neoliberal state and/or a welfare state have appeared simultaneously in the various governments’ policies since the 1990s. This paper argues that although the nature, degree and extent of government intervention has varied from administration to administration, the basic stance of a developmental state has been retained while neoliberal and welfare policies have been used concurrently to further economic and social development. This coexistence of contradictory approaches reflecting alternative market economic systems was the product of a combination of government policies that has for the past 20 years provided the Korean government with the ability to deploy flexible policy mixes in response to changes in the political and economic environment and to maximise the outcomes of developmental policies.

From development to development cooperation: foreign aid, country ownership, and the developmental state in South Korea

As an emerging donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA), the South Korean government has announced that it will provide a ‘South Korean Model of Development Cooperation’. This paper explores how the South Korean development experience from the twentieth century can be transformed into an alternative for development cooperation in the twenty-first century. The early aid management system in South Korea contributed to the bureaucratic capacity-building that was necessary for the installation of the developmental state. In its quest for industrialization, the authoritarian developmental state in South Korea maintained autonomy vis-à-vis foreign donors, foretelling the ‘country ownership’ principle in today's global norms of ODA. However instructive the South Korean experience may be, it will not work as a ‘one size fits all’ model for the twenty-first century development due to such fundamental changes in the global political economy as the WTO regime and democracy promotion. In this regard, South Korea's own double transition of economic liberalization and democratization offers another important lesson. Therefore, we suggest a South Korean ‘alternative’ that respects both the global norms for development cooperation and the national democratic aspirations. It would be a democratic developmental state whose autonomy is more deeply embedded in civil society and whose capacity further expands human capabilities.

Corruption and the effect of regime type: the case of Taiwan

The use of public resources and powers for particularistic purposes and interests serves as a useful (though not all encompassing) starting point for the definition of corruption.1 This definition ...

Bad Loans to Good Friends: Money Politics and the Developmental State in South Korea

Why has the literature on Asian development not addressed the issue of money politics in South Korea? How can we reconcile the view of an efficient developmental state in South Korea before 1997 with reports of massive corruption and inefficiency in that same country in 1998 and 1999? Politics is central to the answer. In this study I make two arguments. First, money politics was extensive in South Korea both during and after the high-growth era. Second, political—not economic—considerations dominated policymaking. This study explains both past and present and compares the patterns of money politics in the early post-independence era with those that arose after the democratic transition in 1987. While during the Park era a balance of power between businessmen and politicians kept corruption from spinning out of control, the transition to democracy altered the basic business-state relationship, allowing business to exert greater influence over policy decisions. The political hypothesis advanced in this study suggests a new direction for our research about the developmental state.

Of miracles and models: The rise and decline of the developmental state in South Korea

This article argues that the South Korean economic 'miracle' was based on the ability of the state to implement a strongly developmental policy. The state was able to do so because, for a time, it was highly insulated from demands from social classes which might have diverted it from the objective of industrialisation. This insulation, or 'relative state autonomy', derived from an historical trajectory which left the state in an unusually dominant position in relation to these classes. Domestic dominance was one factor enabling the state to insert the South Korean economy into world markets in a more advantageous position than would otherwise have been possible. However, its very success in industrialising the country strengthened various class forces, whose demands and intrusion into politics undermined the autonomy of the state. With industrialisation, the state's freedom of manoeuvre was lessened. International influence only reinforced those class pressures inside South Korea. The overall effect was to force a retreat of the state and an end to a developmental policy.

Crisis of the Developmental State in South Korea

The South Korean government is currently undergoing what some claim to be the most extensive restructuring of its structure and functions. Unlike previous restructuring efforts, this series of reorganizations have an added urgency due to the watchful eyes of the International Monetary Fund after South Korea signed a Stand-by Agreement on December 3, 1997 to alleviate itself of the financial crisis.

The Origins of the Developmental State in South Korea

The Origins of the Developmental State in South Korea

Politicians, Interest Groups, and Regulators: A Multiple-Principals Agency Theory of Regulation, or "Let Them Be Bribed"

Politicians, Interest Groups, and Regulators: A Multiple-Principals Agency Theory of Regulation, or "Let Them Be Bribed"

An East Asian Model of Economic Development: Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea

The East Asian model of economic development focuses on 5 shared characteristics that seem significant in the contemporary economic development of Japan Taiwan and Korea. They are economic characteristics and include 1) high investment ratios 2) small public sectors 3) competitive labor markets 4) export expansion and 5) government intervention in the economy. Large and efficient investments in human capital and well-developed capacities to absorb new technology are 2 other economic features shared by The Three. One could add overcrowding (high man/land ratios) and scarcity of natural resources though these are handicaps rather than sources of economic strength. It is possible however that virtue springs from necessity and that ample arable land or abundant natural resources mainly permit governments to postpone the difficult decisions needed to promote development rather than provide the wherewithal needed to finance development. Other noneconomic characteristics of The Three such as ethnic and linguistic homogeneity relatively compact geography manageable population size and the Confucian tradition have not been considered in the model even though they have undoubtedly influenced labor productivity savings behavior and other aspects of economic performance. Whether the East Asian model ought to be followed depends on whether current and foreseeable circumstances are sufficiently like those faced by The Three to justify using the same policies that they used. Applicability of the East Asian model should also depend on whether the strategy employed by The Three has been responsible for their economic success. 2 aspects of the East Asian models policy features are noteworthy: 1) the policies typically work by influencing rather than replacing private market decisions and 2) the public expects government to intervene to influence economic growth.