DEVELOPMENT AND STATE AUTONOMY: SOUTH KOREA, 1961-1979

This dissertation is a case study of the actively interventionist, relatively autonomous state in South Korea. The time period this analysis covers is the administration of Park Chung Hee during 1961-1979. Three lines of inquiry are pursued in this dissertation. First, it is a self-conscious confrontation against the neo-classical tradition that tends to interpret Korea's industrialization in a purely economic way. Contra the neo-classical tendency to separate the state from the market and the polity from the economy, this dissertation seeks to address the issue of the social and political basis of economic development and a developmental alliance in Korea.;Third, this analysis is intended as an active participation in discussions on the relative autonomy of the state in general and a modest contribution to the comparative understanding of the contemporary Third world state. In an attempt to understand and illustrate the changing nature of state hegemony in Korea, this study scrutinizes the systemic aspects of the state operation and the cycle of rise and decline of the Park regime, with particular focus on its dynamic interactions vis-a-vis important domestic and international actors.;Second, this study seeks to modify the dependency perspective developed with reference to Latin American countries. In order to account for specific situations of Korean 'dependent development', I emphasize the nature of patron-client relationships based on the geo-strategic quid pro quo, the export-oriented development strategy and the character and role of the outward-looking multinational corporations.