The Korean government believes it can turn the country into one of the top 10 competitive economies by 2010. This volume offers an in-depth analysis of the Korean innovation system and shows how its science and technology policies actually work. As Korea’s economy is now reaching the status of a newly advanced economy, the book also takes a close look at ongoing structural changes in the course of economic globalization.

Export-oriented industrialization has transformed the Korean economy so profoundly that it has become known as the "Miracle on the Han." Yet, this industrial model has become fragile, as Korea’s chaebols are being challenged by Chinese competitors. Attempts to seek out new engines of economic growth have failed, or remain underdeveloped, while a looming demographic crisis threatens to exacerbate Korea’s problems. This book outlines a blueprint for overcoming these challenges, moving beyond the business strategies, government policies, and socio-cultural patterns established under export-oriented industrialization. Written by a stellar line-up of international contributors, its central proposition is that social change is needed to support the strategic and operational transformation of the chaebol and SMEs. Specifically, it stresses the need for an appreciation of the gender, national, and ethnic diversity emerging within the Korean workplace today. If properly leveraged, such diversity has the potential to reduce the groupthink that hampers the creativity and responsiveness of Korean firms today, as well as facilitating greater success in overseas markets. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book will be useful to students and scholars in Korean Studies, as well as those studying business, economics, and sociology more broadly in East Asia.

This book elaborates upon the dynamic changes to Korean firms and the economy from the perspective of catch-up theory. The central premise of the book is that a latecomer’s sustained catch-up is not possible by simply following the path of the forerunners but by creating a new path or ‘leapfrogging’. In this sense, the idea of catch-up distinguishes itself from traditional views that focus on the role of the market or the state in development.

In this volume leading scholars analyze in a series of original essays and commentaries how newly industrializing countries (NICs), particularly those in East Asia, have transformed themselves from technologically backward and poor to relatively modern and affluent economies over the past thirty years. The contributors provide interesting theoretical perspectives and offer insights into the process of technological progress at both the macro and micro levels in these countries. The essays review how firms, particularly those in electronics and automobiles, have dynamically accumulated technological capabilities at the micro level, how public policies have shaped the process of technological progress at the national level, and what problems some of these countries face today at both levels. In addition, the volume provides a comparison of East Asian NIC s with their Latin American counterparts. The discussion also offers useful lessons for policies in other developing countries.

This book examines dynamics between demand and innovation and provides insights into the rationale and scope for public policies to foster demand for innovation.

An engaging and comprehensive look at the Korean smartphone industry and culture