ROCKING OUR PRIORS How did East Asia Get Rich?
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Aug 30, 2024 Dr. Oliver Kim, a recent PhD graduate from Berkeley and researcher at Open Philanthropy, dives into the remarkable economic convergence of East Asia with the West. He explores the historical and institutional legacies of nations like South Korea and Taiwan, illuminating the role of education and meritocratic reforms. The discussion highlights how big data is reshaping our understanding of structural transformation and the complexities of land reform in boosting economic growth. Oliver also analyzes the resurgence of industrial policies and their impact on current economic landscapes.
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Historical Institutional Advantage
- East Asia's long institutional history (continuous states, imperial exams, Japanese colonial legacies) shaped trust in education and state capacity.
- Those deep legacies made state-building and coordinated development easier than in many post-colonial African states.
Imperial Exams Shaped Education Fever
- Shane Wang and other historians link imperial examinations to a cultural reverence for education and perceived upward mobility.
- Alice and Oliver discuss how that belief drove exceptionally high schooling investment in Korea and Taiwan.
Agriculture Fueled Rural Industrialization
- Rising agricultural productivity freed rural labor and time, fueling rural handicrafts and small-scale industrial clusters.
- Township and village enterprises became major early drivers of industrial value added in Taiwan and China.