**THE 13th GLOBAL ISSUES COLLOQUIUM **

Institute for International Trade and Cooperation would like to invite you

to our thirteenth faculty colloquium

Monday, November 25, 2013

5:00pm-6:00pm (Dinner will be provided)

#1002 Seminar Room, International Education Building

“The Dynamic Relationship between State and Civil Society in the Development of Social Economy in South Korea"

Presenter: Dr. Jongick Jang

(Professor at the College of Global Cooperation, Hanshin University)

Jongick Jang is an assistant professor at the College of Global Cooperation in Hanshin University. He graduated Yonsei University majoring in economics in 1986 and the Graduate School of Yonsei University in 1988. He worked at Korean Farmers Union as a policy staff from 1990 to 1993 during which he realized the potentials of cooperative movement for the transformation of Korean society from government-controlled to civil-controlled society. In 1994 he established Korea Research Institute of Cooperatives where he devoted himself to contribute to reformation of government-controlled agricultural cooperatives, rejuvenation of credit union, and development of consumer cooperatives for 10 years. Thereafter, he studied his Ph.D program in University of Missouri and obtained Ph.D degree in applied economics with focusing on organizational economics and new institutional economics. Dr. Jang is an editor of Korean Journal of Cooperative Studies, member of Council of Cooperative Policy, and auditor of Federation of Hansalim. He has published dozens of papers and books regarding cooperatives, social enterprises, and economics of institutions.

Abstract

Existing literature has claimed that the emergence and development of social enterprise in Western countries and the US are more influenced by the voluntary initiatives of civil society than the state power whereas those in East Asian countries are more affected by the state power. It is also pointed out that social enterprises in East Asian countries including South Korea could be degenerated since the civil society has not been yet solidly advanced to provide safeguard to resist the isomorphic pressures wielded simultaneously by the state and the market. Taking this concern seriously, this paper examines the dynamic relationship between state and civil society in the development of social enterprise and more broadly social economy, using the case of recent development of social economy in South Korea. Based on observations on the enactment of framework act on cooperatives (FAC) and the emerging partnerships between local governments and civil organizations, this paper claims that the path of social economy development in South Korea has been in recent years changed from dominancy in state power into a mixed approach between top-down and bottom-up ones.