Congo and Korea: a study in divergence

✍ Scribed by Phillip Garner

• Book ID: 102354015
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 227 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0954-1748
• DOI: 10.1002/jid.1418

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The growth experiences of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Korea over the last several decades have been polar opposites. Despite this divergence in economic outcomes, the two countries shared some initial similarities including very low income, high population growth rates, harsh colonial regimes, military coups and Cold War politics. There were also important initial differences in population density, ethnolinguistic diversity, natural resource endowments and geography. Given its enormous mineral wealth, economic prospects initially appeared brighter in the Congo than in Korea to most contemporary observers. This paper explores the possible causes of divergences in the two countries by examining initial conditions, economic and demographic trends, geography and governance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.