Political Dynamics of the Korean Progressive Governments: Politics of Economic Policy Shift

Why do progressive governments tend to adopt more pragmatic and growth-oriented policies after taking office, weakening their “socio-economic reform and redistribution” policy stance? Korean progressive governments have a similarity in that they changed their economic policy orientation focus from economic democratization and the chaebol reform to more export-driven growth before or at the beginning of their administration. How can we understand this policy shift made by the progressive government in Korea? The structural approach focuses on the growth-oriented discourse and its reproduction mechanism formed through the successful industrialization experiences of the Park Chung-hee government. However, it doesn’t consistently explain both the birth of progressive governments and their subsequent policy shifts. This study points out that the reason why the progressives’ alternative has not become the dominant discourse is that it has not yet proven its effectiveness as a self-contained alternative that can be operated in reality. Further, it argues that while the progressives’ alternative strategy has not adapted to changes, the traditional growth-oriented discourse made it possible to shift the policies of the progressive governments by accommodating the changing social demands.