This book problematises the statist underpinnings of the concept of the âdevelopmental stateâ in terms of both stateâsociety and nationalâglobal relations challenging the notion that the state is the agent of national development qua being autonomous from the domestic and global economies. Presenting a thorough and comprehensive critical assessment of the extant approaches and theories of the Korean developmental state in particular this book demonstrates that the existing literature including Marxist critiques only inadequately and partially challenge statism. It examines how statism reinforces and is reinforced by âThird World Developmentalismâ the idea that âdevelopmentâ is in itself a positive goal and that a nationally autonomous mode of development should be promoted as a means of empowerment. In opposition this book offers a critique of statism by constructing an alternative theoretical framework extending Marxâs concept of commodity fetishism to stateâsociety and nationalâglobal relations. Drawing on a new theoretical framework and significant Korean literature The State Class and Developmentalism in South Korea offers a novel historical interpretation and critique of the developmental state in the Korean context. As such it will be useful to students and scholars of Asian studies Development Studies and International Political Economy. . Language: English