In a globalized world where data availability transcends borders, international political economy (IPE) research has become increasingly collaborative and multi-dimensional. This panel brings together scholars from around the world who utilize datasets from South Korea to explore diverse IPE topics, ranging from trade to climate change. As IPE scholars based outside Korea increasingly turn to South Korean data, a growing body of research highlights both the unique aspects of the Korean economy and its relevance to broader, global IPE debates. By putting together insights from these studies, this panel provides a platform to showcase how international perspectives can complement and enhance domestic research efforts, creating a benchmark for Korean scholars working on various IPE topics.
In ``Firm Preferences in Supply Chain Partnership," In Song Kim (MIT), Edmund Malesky (Duke), and Helen Milner (Princeton) conduct an original survey on Korean and Vietnamese firms' political participation, highlighting several defining features of firms' trade policy preferences, including the adoption of robots and supply chain partnership. In ``Transboundary Air Pollution and Hazy Accountability: Evidence from South Korea and China," Erik Voeten (Georgetown) and Haillie Lee (Seoul National) combine daily air quality measurements from South Korea and Gallup World Poll surveys to illustrate how the extreme weather events in South Korea influence public opinion on China's leadership. In ``Offshoring and the Decline of Labor Unions: How Globalization Fosters Technological Change," Erica Owen (Pittsburgh) and Sojun Park (Princeton) utilize the workplace survey conducted in South Korea to examine how labor market fragmentation due to offshoring facilitates the adoption of robots. In ``Recategorizing Us and Them: Evidence from American LGBT Diplomacy in South Korea," Boram Lee (LSE) and Jongwoo Jeong (Georgia State University) conduct a survey experiment in South Korea to show how norm diffusion related to LGBT rights provokes cognitive dissonance among South Koreans about their country’s diplomatic relations with the US. In ``Media as Lobbyists: How Firms Use News Media to Shape Public Opinion on Firm Scandals and Disputes," Chloe Ahn (UPenn) uses South Korean news media's coverage of Samsung's scandals and trade disputes to show how firms engage in informal lobbying with media outlets.