| Author | Woo, Tong Ki |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. HS-83-16 |
| Subject(s) | Korea--Economic conditions
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | This study examines the levels of regional growth among the regions of the Korea from 1961 to 1980 and looks at factors which have created and perpetuated their differences, especially between the more developed Kyongsang region and the less developed Cholla region, including explicit economic policies and implicit political priorities. Finally, the study recommends new directions for regional policies aimed at reducing disparities.
The variables employed in determining the level of regional growth include demographic characteristics, economic conditions such as bank deposits and local taxes, factors of social well-being - such as housing ownership and mortality, and gross regional productivity. Furthermore, the overall extent of regional disparities in the republic of Korea is analyzed employing Gini-coefficient and Williamson's population-weighted coefficient of disparities diverged during 1961-67, but subsequently converged since the later half of the 1970s. Regional disparities between the Cholla region and the Kyongsang region have accelerated in terms of both the regions as a whole and within localities of the two regions, particularly from the the late 1960s to the early 1970s.
In the 1970s, the investment variable was by far the most important determinant in the level of regional growth of the Kyongsang region and, to a lesser extent, of the Cholla region. During the late 1960s, however, education played an important role in the Cholla region, but this was not significant in the Kyongsang region. While infrastructure was a crucial factor in explaining growth was more important in the Kyongsang region during the same period. Dipartites in regional growth between the two regions are thus attributable to both locational and structural condition.
The Kyongsang region has rapidly developed as an industrial region. In contrast, it appears that the cholla region has not only received relatively little benefit in terms of overall development, but it has also been comparatively neglected in recent industrial development. but it has also been comparatively neglected in recent industrial development. The implication is that explicit and implicit policies aimed at efficiency-oriented economic development through regional polarization cannot be successful without negative side-effects. The efficiency goal, therefore, may not be compatible with the equity goal.
In order to realize social and spatial justice, the most effective means of overcoming regional disparities appears to be a equity policy. Changes in policy priorities appear to be the basic preconditions for equitable regional growth in centralized countries in the third world, including the Republic of Korea. |
| Year | 1983 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Human Settlement (HS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Weber, Karl E. ; Iwami, Toshikatsu
|
| Examination Committee(s) | Hoshi, Kiyoshi ; Kammeier, Hans Detlef ; Jamlong Atikul
|
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Netherlands Government |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1983 |