The Legacy of Developmental States: Industrial Policy in Korea and Taiwan

Following the 1997 Asian crisis, it was widely recognized that East Asian developmental states had to reform and transform their model of development. Some have argued that the developmental states are restructuring and transforming into Anglo-American style neo-liberal regulatory states. Others have argued that although the problems of the developmental states have been recognized, a new model to replace it has yet to appear. At this CNAPS presentation, Dr. Haeran Lim explored and defined the path of the post-developmental state after the Asian crisis. She examined the transformation of industrial policy over time, specifically focusing on the changes after the crisis in Korea. She included the comparative analysis with Taiwan in exploring the changes and institutional legacy of developmental states.

Dr. Lim is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Seoul National University. She received her B.A. and M.A. in Political Science at Ewha University and a Ph.D. in Political Science at University of California, Davis. Prior to joining the Seoul National University faculty, she was an Assistant Professor at the School of International Relations, Catholic University of Korea. She has published numerous papers, including “Informatization and Changes of Political Process in Taiwan,” and books, including, “Korea’s Growth and Industrial Transformation” (Macmillan Press). Dr. Lim’s research at Brookings will focus on “Democratization and Transformation Process in East Asian Developmental States,” with a focus on financial reform and industrial policy.