Threat perception and developmental states in Northeast Asia

Abstract

The current literature on the developmental state tends to focus on state–economy and state–business relations. Very few studies take the developmental state as a historical phenomenon and analyse its origins and possible demise. Even fewer studies link threat perception to the rise and decline of such states. This study argues that a particular kind of threat perception, namely that of an extremely intensive and long-term threat, played a fundamental role in creating the developmental states in Northeast Asia. Later, a changed threat perception was one of the important factors that caused the decline of such states.