Late industrialization in the new global division of labor: The case of the Korean auto industry

The dissertation investigates the structural mobility of the semiperiphery by examining the state's external politico-economic autonomy which is conceptualized as the ability of implementing the national strategies of industrial upgrading. Focusing on the historical development of the Korean auto industry, it illuminates the structural constraints of the state-sponsored industrial "catching-up" process. It associates the declining state autonomy with the new global division of labor in the high value-added industrial sector. Also, the comparative study of three Korean automakers shows the growing dependence of new entrants on the integrated global market. The structural barriers of tightly integrated global market redefine the strategic role of export promotion of late industrializers in the world-economy dominated by giant firms. New forms of export promotion which are internalized by specific firms entail considerable political and economic costs. The integrated global market requires development strategies reconceptualizing the advantages of trade, foreign investment, technology, and the global division of labor.