Contrary to the widely-held view that the East Asian "developmental state" is neutral in terms of the relationship between capital and labour – a benign co-operation between state officials and businessmen to organise economic development – this book argues that in fact the developmental state exists to promote the interests of capital over the interests of labour. Dae-oup Chang asserts that there has been a deliberate mystification concerning the reality of this process. This book presents a radical, Marxist critique of state development theory. It both explains the exploitative functions of the state, looking at the emergence of the particular form of capitalist state in the context of the formation and reproduction of capital relations in Korea; and also traces the origin and development of the process of mystification whereby the capitalist state has been characterised as the autonomous developmental state. In addition, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of labour relations in Korea both before and after the 1998 financial crisis, demonstrating continuing capital relations, state transition and class struggle.
Author(s): Dae-oup Chang
Edition: 1
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 224
Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 8
Illustrations......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 10
List of abbreviations......Page 11
1 Introduction......Page 14
2 The mystified state: Explaining the state in the economic miracle......Page 22
3 Marx’s theory of value and the critique of capitalist social relations......Page 40
4 The reproduction of capital relations, the state and class struggle......Page 57
5 Toward a critique of the Korean state......Page 72
6 The early formation of capital relations and the state......Page 86
7 The politicised development of capital relations and the Korean state......Page 105
8 Class struggle and the unfolding crisis......Page 123
9 Labour, capital and the state in transition......Page 147
10 Conclusion......Page 172
Notes......Page 178
Bibliography......Page 188
Index......Page 203
