East Asian Development

Module description

This module provides the students with a detailed understanding of the countries in the region, including the East Asia Tigers (e.g., Japan, South Korea and Taiwan), and Southeast Asian followers (e.g., Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand) and transitional economies (e.g., Vietnam and China). Students will study the variations in their socio-economic profiles, political systems, and development experiences. Students will also learn and apply the concept of path dependency to examine how historical legacies influence the dynamics of development, and make comparative assessment of development outcomes and challenges through intra- and inter-regional comparisons (e.g., state-building and state capability in East Asia, Latin America, and Africa).

Assessment details

• 500 Word Formative Essay Plan (0%)
• 2,500 Word Essay (100%)

Educational aims & objectives

The aims are to advance students’ understanding of the historical dynamics of political of development East Asia, and to enhance students’ ability to situate East Asian development experience in the global context through a comparative perspective.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Understand the historical dynamics of social and economic development in the East/Southeast as region, and the divergent development paths. 
• Show fine-grained and detailed understanding of the emerging economies in the region, including The East Asia Tigers (e.g., Japan, South Korea and Taiwan), and Southeast Asian followers (e.g., Indonesia, the Philippines) and transitional economies (e.g., Vietnam). 
• Appreciate key challenges faced by these economies, both individually and as a region; and make comparative assessment of development experiences through intra- and inter-regional comparisons, using institutional analysis.

Teaching pattern

One lecture and seminar per week. 

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.