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Volume 4 No. 1
An Analysis of South Korea's Import Demand
*Abstract : This
article, applying Johansen multivariate cointegration analysis and
error correction modeling techniques, analyses the relationship between
Korean imports and the components of final demand expenditure and
relative prices. Firstly, the major determinants of import demand in the
long run are found to be relative price, final consumption expenditure
and export demand with elasticities 0.6, 1.04 and 0.49 respectively.
Secondly, in the case of import demand specification with disaggregated
income variable, final consumption expenditure, relative price and
capacity utilization are found to Granger-cause import demand in the
short run. Thirdly, the different estimation results between the
components basis and aggregation basis imply the traditional estimation
can cause an aggregation bias.
Postcolonial Discours, Diasporic Critique: Filipina Migrant Narratives in the Shadow of Globalization
*Abstract : Unlike
the historic diasporas of the past, the worldwide dispersal of about 10
million Filipino bodies, mostly women, is a product of globalized
capitalism, the new transnationalizing adaptation of the South to the
model of the North. Peripheralized by the colonial legacy of 300 years
of Spanish rule and almost a century of U.S. direct colonial (1898-1946)
and neocolonial domination (from 1946 up to now), the Philippines now
occupies the position of the main supplier of cheap migrant labor for
metropolitan and developing nation-states. Despite this profound
historic change, postcolonial discourse fails to grasp this newmodel of
subordination and subalternization. This essay initiates an exploration
of the counterhegemonic narratives of the Filipino diaspora as an
implicit critique of the postcolonialist complicity with
transnationalizing postmodernism and its neoliberal, cosmopolitanist
"civilizing mission."
Stabilizing International Relations in East Asia and the Possibility of Institutionalization
*Abstract
: Current discousres of East Asia's regional security face perplexing
theoretical and practical problems. The main difficulty lies in
establishing uniform standardes of common security, both substantive and
procedural, among the many differences of both Asian and Europenaized
nation-states(United States, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea etc).
One way to solve this problem is to settle down instititutionalization
in the region. Depite its limited ambitions, thepush for institutional
regional security has gained considerable momentum of its own and has
become an established part of wider security dialogue. However, member
states in the region are still suffering from asymmetric evolution of
nation-state among East Asian countries, calculation of state policy,
and collective identity. These factors hinder from institutional
development in East Asia. An Asian way of institutionalization is
considered to stablize internatinal relations in East Asia, in which
multilateralism is combined with bilateralism and the United States
plays a key role as a power balancer.
Northeast Asia and the Trends of the 21st Century: An Essay on the Northeast Asian Economic Community
*Astract
: In corresponding to present trends, it is necessary to organize an
EU-like community in Asia, especially in the Northeast Asia. The
Northeast Asian countries, including Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and so
on, have similar history, culture, and ethnic background, and therefore,
it is easy to carry out cooperative work. With a well-developed
transportation and production capacity like what we have right now, not
only would each country's territory seem too narrow but an economic
integration which is suitable for a broader territory would be
accomplished. Further, it will lead to the cultural integration of races
within the consolidated area and, eventually, enable a development
toward political integration.
A Study on the Legality and Legitimacy of UN Intervention in the Korean War
*Astract
: Soon afterits founding, the United Nations was called on to deal with
conflict in Korea. The conflict was to have severe repercussions for
the structure of UN decision-making, and considerable ramifications in
terms of what was to be permitted, prescribed and prohibited under the
rules (both legal and normative) of the new post-war world order. The
newly formed UN had an opportunity to put into action the ideals set
forth in its charter. The debate among practitioners and academics over
the implications of the Korean War precedent is ongoing and has had a
profound effect on subsequent intervention debates as well as wreaking
change in the organization itself.
The Danger of Global Finance: A Reassessment of the Asian crisis
*Abstract :
In 2002, as East Asia rises to its feet again, it is enticing for the
West to begin pouring capital back into Asia to speed it along the road
to recovery. To allow this to happen, however, would be to miss the
fundamental lessons of the 1997 crisis. This paper explores the numerous
studies done on the crisis, and finds that despite divergence in
scholars' understandings of the 'fundamental'root of the crisis, there
is a general consensus that the 'proximate'cause of the crisis was the
immense rapid capital flight out of Asia. After demonstrating the
wisdom in this consensus through an examination of the size and
volatility of these flows, the second section of the paper then argues
that this whipsaw movement of capita is inherent in the structure of
global finance. It examines the over-liquidity of financial markets and
the psychology of investment, showing that both predispose financial
markets to large, erratic, and potentially dangerous surges. The paper
concludes with a survey of measures that can be taken to protect
developing nations from such dangerous flows, asserting that capital
controls should be imposed in Asia to provide slower domestic reforms
with time to mature.
Volume 4 No. 2
Distant State in World Markets: New Zealand Universities Confront the Information Age
*Abstract :
This article brings institutions into the debate about the role of
universities in the knowledge economy. Though globalization changes the
framework within which nation-states act, policy responses emerge from
distinct institutional contexts that rule in some strategies and rule
out others. In New Zealand, the globalization of information technology
and economic competition intersects with a social consensus that the
neoliberal regime for tertiary education failed. This article asks: why
did this consensus emerge, and can the institutional structure of this
small state adapt to the globalization of the tertiary sector? The
analysis integrates new institutionalism with the concept of strategic
adaptation developed by Douglass North, and concludes by identifying the
lessons that can be drawn from this case study.
Taiwan's Evolution of Party Politics: From Dominant to Competitive Party System
*Abstract :
This paper examines the evolution of party politics in Taiwan. First, I
examine the historical characteristics of the KMT party-state from 1949
to 1985. During this period, the political system of Taiwan was
characterized as a “quasi-Leninist” party-state authoritarianism with no
prior democratic experiences. Second, I examine political
liberalization and democratic transition from 1986 to 1996. Taiwan’s
transition to democracy was implemented from relatively strong
authoritarian regime which was characterized as the absence of direct
threat to the continuation of authoritarian rule. By 1996, it was
thought that a dominant party system might evolve during Taiwan’s
democratic transition process. However, with the opposition’s slim
margin of victory over the presidential election in 2000 Taiwan moves
from a dominant-party system to a highly competitive party system.
Korean Comfort Women, Human Rights and International Law: A Critical Analysis
*Abstract :
Onlyrecently have scholars begun to address this highly contentious
issue of whether Korean comfort women have a claim at international law.
This essay isunique in that it attempts to tackle the comfort women
plight head on and showthat Japan committed horrific acts to the comfort
women and must own up tothem. By arguing that if we trace Japan’s
membership to a number ofinternational conventions and analyse the role
of customary international lawthe reader can deduce that said comfort
women do in fact have a legitimateclaim at international law and are
entitled to some form of remedy. Moreover,this paper brings to the fore
that Japan’s rebuttal to any claims made by thecomfort women, namely
that all discrepancies between Korea and Japan weresettled at the 1965
Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning theProperty of Korea
and are final, is deeply flawed. Finally, it ispostulated that the
passive behaviour of the Korean government has beenunderpinned by
economic motivations in its quest to evolve Korea into athriving
capitalist nation.
The 2002 American Midterm Election: The Republican Victory in Historical Perspective
*Abstract :The
Bush administration won anhistorically unusual victory in the 2002
midterm elections, picking up 8 seatsin the House of Representative and
gaining 2 seats in the Senate. The two major issues in 2002 were
copingwith terrorism in the aftermath of September 11 and the dismal
state of theAmerican economy, and Bush’s hard-line on terrorism proved
to be decisive. This triumph put the Republicans in controlof the
presidency and both houses of Congress for the first time in almost
halfa century. Pundits agree that thisbolsters the power of the Bush
administration, although it is difficult tojudge to what degree. This
articlediscusses the changing pattern of midterm elections in order to
put the 2002midterm in historical perspective. Itthen assesses in what
ways it might strengthen the Bush administration indomestic and
international policymaking.
Confucianism and South Korea's Global Development Strategy
*Abstract :
This article examines Confucianism and global development strategy in
South Korea. The process of state-oriented industry in Confucian
capitalism would be different from the free competition of classical
capitalism of the West. The state has a powerful influence over market
system. The fundamental function of the state in Confucian capitalism
based on cohesive relationships between the members of society provides
the process of economic development. The Korean state has, on the whole,
been influenced by Confucian political culture, and is, to some extent,
an example of the economically successful Confucian capitalism.
Ultimately, this research paper explores Confucian development strategy
which is related to the strategy of realism and liberal pluralism with
the recognition of world system theory in global economic system. As a
matter of fact, It must be noted that the important role of political
agents and the recognition of structural global economic system are
requisite to generate economic development.
Three Strikes Out Law in the U.S.: The Policy-making Process and the Role of Policy Analysts
*Abstract : In a democratic policy-making process, many problems exist. Politicians
may be influenced by biased information or by intense minority opinions
so that social problems are not accurately defined. Alternatives
and opportunity costs may not be fully and appropriately considered so
that government resources are not allocated in the most effective way.
This paper analyzes the process through which the “Three Strikes Out”
law was made to discuss what problems exist in a democratic
policy-making process. It
then goes on to explore how policy analysts could prevent such problems
or reduce the negative impact of such problems on a democratic
policy-making process and what type of policy analysts might be more
appropriate for the purpose
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