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Divergence before the Division: The colonial origins of separate development paths in Korea

Andersson, Martin LU ; Lopez Jerez, Montserrat LU and Miladinovic, Luka LU (2023) In Journal of Institutional Economics 19(6). p.802-819
Abstract
This study revisits the question of what impact Japanese colonialism had on the long-term economic development of North and South Korea. Factor endowments, economic activity and economic performance are compared between the regions that later became parts of North and South Korea, respectively. The study finds that important elements of the economic history of the peninsula have not been sufficiently acknowledged in much of the influential literature that uses Korea as an illustration of theoretical claims of the root causes of development. In particular, the fact that the economic divergence of northern and southern regions could be traced back to different colonial treatments – especially after mid-1920s – has often been overlooked when... (More)
This study revisits the question of what impact Japanese colonialism had on the long-term economic development of North and South Korea. Factor endowments, economic activity and economic performance are compared between the regions that later became parts of North and South Korea, respectively. The study finds that important elements of the economic history of the peninsula have not been sufficiently acknowledged in much of the influential literature that uses Korea as an illustration of theoretical claims of the root causes of development. In particular, the fact that the economic divergence of northern and southern regions could be traced back to different colonial treatments – especially after mid-1920s – has often been overlooked when analysing the divergent post-partition development trajectories. The study suggests, based on a sectoral similarities analysis, that the initial dissimilar economic performance of North and South can at least partially be found in differences in political economy and economic trajectories preceding the partition. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
division, factor endowments, institutional change, Japanese colonialism, Korea, sectoral analysis
in
Journal of Institutional Economics
volume
19
issue
6
pages
802 - 819
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85164352332
ISSN
1744-1382
DOI
10.1017/S1744137423000188
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
835e9e8d-22a1-4885-b3f5-a0248cede7cb
date added to LUP
2023-06-20 12:13:03
date last changed
2024-01-09 15:47:16
@article{835e9e8d-22a1-4885-b3f5-a0248cede7cb,
  abstract     = {{This study revisits the question of what impact Japanese colonialism had on the long-term economic development of North and South Korea. Factor endowments, economic activity and economic performance are compared between the regions that later became parts of North and South Korea, respectively. The study finds that important elements of the economic history of the peninsula have not been sufficiently acknowledged in much of the influential literature that uses Korea as an illustration of theoretical claims of the root causes of development. In particular, the fact that the economic divergence of northern and southern regions could be traced back to different colonial treatments – especially after mid-1920s – has often been overlooked when analysing the divergent post-partition development trajectories. The study suggests, based on a sectoral similarities analysis, that the initial dissimilar economic performance of North and South can at least partially be found in differences in political economy and economic trajectories preceding the partition.}},
  author       = {{Andersson, Martin and Lopez Jerez, Montserrat and Miladinovic, Luka}},
  issn         = {{1744-1382}},
  keywords     = {{division; factor endowments; institutional change; Japanese colonialism; Korea; sectoral analysis}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{802--819}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Institutional Economics}},
  title        = {{Divergence before the Division: The colonial origins of separate development paths in Korea}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1744137423000188}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S1744137423000188}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}