Ha-Joon Chang on Infant Industry Protection
IMF Podcasts
Source details
- Canonical URL
- Ha-Joon Chang on Infant Industry Protection
Other formats
Bibliographic details
- Guest: HA-JOON CHANG
Episode summary
- The economist and best-selling author Ha-Joon Chang describes South Korea’s transformation from a largely agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse.
- Chang frames his experience of the country’s “economic miracle” as akin to “riding a time machine.”
- The episode notes the contrast between South Korea’s economic development and the political context during much of that period, identifying that transformation as occurring “albeit under a military dictatorship.”
- The episode is associated with Finance & Development (F&D) Magazine under the theme “Economic growth.”
- A transcript of the episode is available.
- A related Cafe Economics article is available in Finance & Development.
Key themes and framing
- Industrialization and structural transformation:
- South Korea’s shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy.
- The role of state policy and historical context implied by the episode’s focus on “infant industry protection.”
- Personal and historical narrative:
- Chang uses personal recollection to illustrate broad economic change, describing living through the country’s transformation.
- Political context:
- The episode emphasizes that economic modernization occurred “albeit under a military dictatorship,” linking political conditions to the development narrative.