
Dr Nahee Kang
Senior Lecturer in Political Economy of Emerging Markets
Research interests
- International development
- Policy
Biography
Dr Kang is based at the Department of International Development. She researches capitalist development in the emerging world through the multi-disciplinary lens of economic sociology and political economy. Nahee is the Deputy Director of the KCL-SOAS London Asia Pacific Centre for Social Sciences.
Prior to joining King’s, Nahee was a Lecturer in Development Management at the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM), University of Manchester. Before that, she held both an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Visiting Fellowship at the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ICCSR), Nottingham University Business School.
Before coming to England, she worked briefly as a researcher at the Korea Institute of Finance (KIF) in South Korea, and held visiting fellowships at the International Centre for the Study of East Asian Development (ICSEAD) and United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) in Japan. She obtained a PhD in Social and Political Sciences from University of Cambridge, fully funded by the Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust.
Research
Nahee works on three strands of inter-related research:
- The first strand stems from funded doctoral research funded by the Cambridge Political Economy Trust, and post-doctoral fellowship funded by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which examined the institutional dynamics of late capitalism, and corporate and industrial change in East Asia.
- The second strand is on the political economy of the middle-income trap, funded by the British Academy’s Rising Star Engagement Award, explored a specific set of challenges that middle-income economies face in making the leap necessary to attain high-income status.
- The third, and most recent strand of work is on the new politics of solidarity in East Asia, funded by the King's College London-Nanyang Technological University Partnership Fund and the Academy of Korean Studies. The driving idea behind this project is that there is a limit to studying economies languishing in the trap, and to overcome the trap, closer scrutiny of high-income transition in East Asia is required, with focus on the politics that move policies.
Teaching
Undergraduate
- 5YYD0004 East Asian Development
- 6YYD0004 National Development Strategies
- 4YYD0004 Social and Political Analysis of Emerging Economies
Postgraduate
- 7YYD0012 Industrial Development: Strategy and Competitiveness of East Asian Firms
- 7YYD0004 The Political Economy of Market Reforms
PhD supervision
Nahee supervises in the areas of late capitalism, democracy, and development with focus on emerging economies and regions.
Principal supervisor
- Jisun Yi (successfully completed in 2018)
- Kahee Jo
- Jessica Loy
- Han Hee Lee
- Sam Ding
Further details
Research

Political Economy & Institutions research group
Dissecting the problems of change, particularly looking at how societies face the challenge of becoming richer and more democratic.

London Asia-Pacific Centre for Social Science
A forum for inter-disciplinary, comparative social scientific research relating to the Asia-Pacific region
News
Workshop series will put focus on Korea
An upcoming workshop series featuring King’s College London academics will focus on development in South Korea.

Events

States, Markets, and Foreign Aid: Book talk with author, Simone Dietrich
Professor Simone Dietrich joins us to discuss her book about donor nations and international development.
Please note: this event has passed.

LAPC Seminar Series: South Korea’s trade relations with Japan and China and its impact on the semiconductor industry
How will the politicisation of the seminconductor industry affect South Korea and its relationships with China and Japan?
Please note: this event has passed.

Business Groups in Emerging Economies
Two talks presented by Alvin Camba (Johns Hopkins University) and Nahee Kang (KCL) & Kyunghoon Kim (KCL/SOAS).
Please note: this event has passed.

Patient capital in emerging economies: Panel discussion
Panel discussion on patient capital in emerging economies led by Dr Robyn Klingler-Vidra and Nahee Kang.
Please note: this event has passed.
Research

Political Economy & Institutions research group
Dissecting the problems of change, particularly looking at how societies face the challenge of becoming richer and more democratic.

London Asia-Pacific Centre for Social Science
A forum for inter-disciplinary, comparative social scientific research relating to the Asia-Pacific region
News
Workshop series will put focus on Korea
An upcoming workshop series featuring King’s College London academics will focus on development in South Korea.

Events

States, Markets, and Foreign Aid: Book talk with author, Simone Dietrich
Professor Simone Dietrich joins us to discuss her book about donor nations and international development.
Please note: this event has passed.

LAPC Seminar Series: South Korea’s trade relations with Japan and China and its impact on the semiconductor industry
How will the politicisation of the seminconductor industry affect South Korea and its relationships with China and Japan?
Please note: this event has passed.

Business Groups in Emerging Economies
Two talks presented by Alvin Camba (Johns Hopkins University) and Nahee Kang (KCL) & Kyunghoon Kim (KCL/SOAS).
Please note: this event has passed.

Patient capital in emerging economies: Panel discussion
Panel discussion on patient capital in emerging economies led by Dr Robyn Klingler-Vidra and Nahee Kang.
Please note: this event has passed.