Socio-Economic Changes and Political Selectivity in the Development of Industrial Democracy in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

This paper examines the general assumption that economic growth and industrialization encourage industrial democracy by providing certain facilitating socio-economic environments. It is shown that such development may or may not be encouraged depending upon the nature of political selectivity with respect to policies of growth and industrial democracy despite the generally favourable socio-economic conditions generated by rapid growth. This is demonstrated by using both macroand micro-data on Korean development over the past few decades. Focus is on the role of political selectivity in either promoting or discouraging the development of industrial democracy, when such changes are perceived as threatening the political stability and survival of the regime.