In this talk, Stephen Haggard will draw on his recently published book reflecting on the concept of Developmental States, with particular reference to China and East Asia experience.

The concept of the developmental state emerged to explain the rapid growth of a number of countries in East Asia after the Second World War. The developmental state literature also offered a theoretical approach to growth that was heterodox with respect to prevailing approaches in both economics and political science.

Arguing for the distinctive features of developmental states, its proponents emphasised the role of government intervention and industrial policy as well as the significance of strong states and particular social coalitions. This literature blossomed into a wider approach, firmly planted in a much longer heterodox tradition, that explored comparisons with states that were decidedly not developmentalist, thus contributing to our historical understanding of long-run growth.

Speaker profiles

Stephan Haggard is the Lawrence and Sallye Krause Professor of Korea-Pacific Studies, Director of the Korea-Pacific Program and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. He has written on transitions to and from democratic rule and the political economy of economic reform, social policy and globalisation.