Jörg Mahlich - Böcker

Only inadequately perceived by the Western public, Korea has transformed into an economic heavy weight during recent decades. The Korean government believes it can turn it into one of the top 10 competitive economies until 2010. This goal does not sound overambitious as Korea has undergone tremendous efforts in order to forge ahead in the field of research and development. In some high tech industries, Korean firms have advanced into leading players in the global market place and are increasingly challenging their international competitors. Against this background, the 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 on ongoing structural changes in the course of economic globalization.

Only inadequately perceived by the Western public, Korea has transformed into an economic heavy weight during recent decades. The Korean government believes it can turn it into one of the top 10 competitive economies until 2010. This goal does not sound overambitious as Korea has undergone tremendous efforts in order to forge ahead in the field of research and development. In some high tech industries, Korean firms have advanced into leading players in the global market place and are increasingly challenging their international competitors. Against this background, the 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 on ongoing structural changes in the course of economic globalization.

South Korea has attained spectacular economic success in recent decades. It has reached the status of a Newly Advanced Economy, with challenges increasingly mirroring those faced by other advanced economies. These include the necessary upgrading of the labor force, the frictions of switching to a national system of innovation adapted to leadership in R&D, market-based economic policies that reflect the government’s difficulties in foreseeing future technological developments, and the consequences of social change for the innovation system and policy-making. In the forthcoming book the parallel challenges for innovation and technology for the Republic of Korea and other advanced economies will be analyzed more thoroughly with an international perspective in mind. This comparison and international benchmarking will allow policy makers and scholars to better appreciate how much the country has already moved into the circle of globally leading economies and what can be done to consolidate and strengthen its position.