3 credits
graduate students only

This course will examine how South Korea was transformed from one of
the poorest countries in the 1950s into a member of the wealthy
countries with a focus on the role of politics and business and
their interactions. The course divides roughly into four sections.
The first examines rapid economic growth under authoritarian regimes
and the active roles of the Korean state until the 1980s. The second
takes a closer look at the relationship between economic development
and democratization in the 1980s. The third focuses on the rise of
chaebol (Korean big business) since the 1980s and the road to a
economic crisis in 1997. The final section of the course analyzes
the post-crisis economic reform, recovery and transformation of the
state-business relationship. In each section, key actors, political
and economic institutions, policymaking processes, and international
factors will be discussed. Special attention will be paid to the
ways in which politics have influence on business (and vice versa)
and their development over time.

Students will be expected to write two short response papers and to
complete a research paper at the end of the semester. No previous
background on Korea is expected.