2015/06/19 by David Hundt · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Asian Industrial and Economic Development #Social Policy and Reform Studies #Socioeconomic Development in Asia
paper · doi:10.1080/10357823.2015.1052339
openalex publication_date 2015/06/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Following the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s, some scholars predicted that the introduction of neoliberal ideas and policies would result in the definitive passing of the Korean developmental state. Despite these predictions, Korean state elites have retained their influential position as economic managers by, for instance, practicing a revised form of industrial policy. Neoliberal reform has, however, had significant social implications. Rather than neoliberalism acting as a democratising force that curtails the power of the state, this article illustrates that the Korean state has used the reform agenda to justify an expansion of its powers. The state presented itself as an agent capable of resolving long-standing economic problems, and of defending law and order. By doing so, the state reduced the political space available to non-state actors. The article concludes that for some states, neoliberalism is a means of retaining economic and political influence, and that former developmental states may be particularly adept at co-opting elements of civil society into governing alliances.