In the 21st century we live in an uprecedent era of abundancy. Yet poverty and inequality persist more than ever before, creating a need to investigate development. This Master’s thesis analyses the issue of transferability of (structural) development models in the contemporary international community, namely, it examines how developing states can develop in the 21st century. This research is based on the assumption that the structural development models of successfully developed countries can be adapted and transferred to countries that are still in the process of development. To test this assumption, the Master's thesis studies a case of a developed state, South Korea, to identify key drivers of economic development. Placed within the theory of social constructivism, this research highlights the importance of culture, nationalism and national norms as drivers of economic and broader social development, thereby complementing classical development theories which tend to overlook this non-material dimension of development. The case study of South Korea, with a historicla analysis of its development, first enables identification of key factors that have contributed to South Korea's development. Those factors are then discussed as potential factors that could foster development in other states in the 21st century. Based on the findings, the Master's thesis demonstrates that no single example of a successfully developed country can serve as an exclusive model to be replicated by other developing countries. However, several successful development policies can be adapted by developing countries in shaping their own development trajectories.
|
