Yooil Bae

Yooil Bae SOSS 04-48

yooilbae@smu.edu.sg

Assistant Professor of Political Science Tel) 6828-1901

School of Social Sciences

Singapore Management University

I joined the school as an assistant professor of political science on July 1^st, 2008. My research focus on comparative politics and public policy, multilevel governance, urban and regional political economy, and area studies including Korea, Japan, East Asia, and OECD countries. Before I joined SMU, I worked @ Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (2007-2008) as a Postdoctoral Fellow.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School, NUS, (2007-2008)

Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Southern California (2007)

M.A. in Political Science, University of Southern California (2003)

M.A. in Public Administration, Korea University (2000)

B.A. in Public Administration, Inha University (1998) Summa Cum Laude

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline”

(Proverbs, 1:7)

Current Research Agenda

Currently, I have three major research projects: Politics of Decentralization in Korea and Japan, Transnational NGOs in Korea and Japan, and Local Government and Civil Society in OECD.

Politics of Decentralization in Korea and Japan: International Diffusion of Ideas and State Remodeling

(a single-authored book length project). Conventional understanding on varying degrees of decentralization varying degrees of decentralization has focused on economic factors (levels of modernization, regional economic imbalance, or global economic crisis) or political factors (political party politics (ideological division), political culture (democracy), or pork-barrel politics among various stakeholders) as main causes. Yet those explanations still leave a question as to why central politicians and bureaucrats that were critical barriers to decentralization reform for half a century suddenly agreed to transfer their authorities. This project will focus on developing more comprehensive explanatory framework: This research aims to argue that the case of decentralization in the two countries lies in the diffusion of neoliberal idea that intertwined with top political leadership, the placement of idea bearers in critical governmental positions, and the pressure from civil and local society under the great uncertainty of global economy. Although both countries did not faithfully follow the logic of neoliberal reform that proliferated in Western democracies, the idea provided a visible direction of policies for decision makers at the center, materialized specific path of strategies through reform institutions, and framed the discursive background of decentralization reform. Theoretically, this research aims to develop an ‘ideational framework,’ which has frequently employed in explaining the choice of economic policy, in order to identify the causal relationship between idea and the policy choice.

Environmental Governance and Transnational Advocacy Networks in Korea and Japan

(Principle Investigator with Dong-Ae Shin (University of Kitakyushu, Japan) and Yong Wook Lee (Korea University, Korea). A number of scholars have argued the influence of international allies armed with ecological sensitivity, new knowledge, and norm in resolving domestic environmental government issues. Not completely denying the influence of the normative and structural factors from the supranational level, this paper seeks to understand incentives and constraints for the promotion of transnational advocacy networks in Japanese and Korean environmental governance. Through the in-depth case analyses of Isahaya and Saemangum Reclamation projects, we argue that “characteristics of civil society” such as distinctive political opportunity structure and socio-cultural elements is the key. While Japanese state’s regulatory structure have restricted the emergence of large-scale, nation-wide, and professional environmental movements, Korean environmental movements originated from the democracy movements has brought relative success in promoting environmental organizations. These environmental organizations armed with “post-materialistic value,” having considerable resources, intellectuals, and contentious culture have a tendency to stand firmly vis-à-vis the state and take a position of strength by making transnational allies.

Points of Governance: Local Government and Civil Society in Global Perspective

(Collaborator with Jefferey M. Sellers (Principle Investigator, University of Southern California) and Anders Lidström (Collaborator, Umea University, Sweden). The first comprehensive systematic analysis of national infrastructure of local governance and civil society across the OECD and beyond, based on the most extensive dataset of national indicators yet compiled as well as elite and mass surveys. This is a book-length project.

Government Consultation

Collaborator, A Comparative Research on Governmental Service System of Civil Affairs in Developed Countries, Funded by Ministry of Public Administration and Safety (PI: Tae-il Kim, Korea University), 2008.

Working Papers and Manuscripts

Decentralization Reform from Below: Repositioning Local Governments and Civil Society in Japan and Korea (under revision for journal submission).

Breaking down the Strong State? Decentralization, Local Democratization, and Civil Society in Korea (as a part of Stanford University Conference (October 2008) Papers, “From Democracy to Civil Society: The Evolution of Korean Social Movements”).

Putting Pieces Together: Idea and Institutional Transformation (under preparation).

Past Publications

2007. “Globalization, the Developmental State, and the Politics of Urban Growth in Korea: A Multilevel Analysis.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 31 (3): 543-560 (with Jefferey M. Sellers, University of Southern California).

2004. “State, Policy and Social Capital: An Institutional Approach to Social Capital Theory.” Korean Policy Studies Review 13 (4): 131-156 (in Korean).

2003. “Local Governance and Institutional Perspective: Theory, Model, and Comparative Research.” Journal of Governmental Studies 9 (2): 297-335 (in Korean).

Teaching

2008/2009 Term 2

POSC 105 Democracy

POSC 306 Special Topics in Political Science: Politics and Public Policy in Japan and Korea

2008/2009 Term 3B (Summer Course)

POSC 105 Democracy

Please see my full Curriculum Vitae CV

Academic Links

Singapore Management University

American Political Science Association

The Association of Korean Political Studies

The Academy of Korean Studies

Korea Foundation

The Korean National Digital Library

KERIS

The Japan Foundation

The Japan Center for Int’l Exchange

The National Diet Library Japan

Korean National Statistical Office

Japan Statistics Bureau and Services

Social Science Research Council

MOE

Singapore

The Association of Asian Studies

Personal

My family (December 2008)

With my Political Science colleagues, Alex Mutebi and John Donaldson (2008)

My kids: Grace (7) and Nathan (2)

I have two kids (Grace and Nathan) and wife (Sally).

With Sally @ Paseo Colorado, Pasadena, California (2006).

With Grace @ USC 2007 Commencement (May, 2007)

With Jefferey Sellers, my Ph.D. advisor, and his wife (Laura) @ Pasadena, before I left for

Singapore in 2007.

Recent News:

Presentation @ APSA 2008 Annual Conference, Boston, MA, U.S.A. from August 28 – August 30, 2008 (with Professor Dong-Ae Shin, Kitakyusu University, Japan)

I will present a paper titled “Breaking the Strong State? @ Korean Democracy Conference @ Stanford University, Korea Research Institute from October 23-24, 2008

Assistant Professor of Sociology Paul Y. Chang and I will talk about civil society and democratic governance in Korea and Japan @ SOSS Capstone Seminar Series (November 5^th, 2008)

SMU Political Science Group

My colleagues @ SMU. As we represent a variety of fields and interests, so we also represent a wide spectrum of political opinion and a variety of approaches.

Links:

University of Southern California, POIR

Most Preferred University Voted by U.S. High School Students and Parents (Ranked #9, 2008 Princeton Review)

Korea University, Public Administration Program

Best Public Administration Program in South Korea (Ranked #1, 2006, JoongAng Daily News)

Inha University

One of the top research universities in South Korea (Ranked #11, 2008, JoongAng Daily News)