Korean Translation of UNRISD Book Launched at International Conference in Seoul

The Korean translation of the recent UNRISD publication, Learning from the South Korean Developmental Success: Effective Development Cooperation and Synergistic Institutions and Policies, was launched at the 8th Seoul ODA International Conference "Good governance and effective institutions". The conference took place on 2 September 2014 in the Lotte Hotel, Seoul.

Many of the 600 conference participants attended the launch seminar, and engaged in a lively debate on the "enabling role of institutional mechanisms". These ensured that both state and society benefited from the synergies produced by the complementary economic and social policies introduced in Korea between 1945 and 2000.

Leading the discussion were Thandika Mkandawire, one of the book’s editors (with Ilcheong Yi) and former Director of UNRISD, and Eun Mee Kim, Director of the Institute for Development and Human Security at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. Dr. Kim contributed the chapter on the South Korean developmental alliance between business, labour and government.

The book is the product of a joint UNRISD-KOICA research project Making International Development Cooperation Effective, which investigated how foreign aid and non-aid policies interact with national development policies to achieve economic growth, democratization, and the reduction of poverty and inequality. The research aimed to provide insights to aid donors and recipients alike, and contribute to strengthening the Republic of Korea as a responsible donor.

The Korean translation of the book, published on 5 September 2014, is widely available across the Republic of Korea, under a title slightly modified in translation—Synergy: Conditions, Institutions and Policies for the Korean Developmental Model and Effective Developmental Cooperation. The launch of the translation attracted local media coverage (in Korean).