【週五論壇】中研院社會所，9月9日(五)由本所訪問學人金榮贊博士主講
2016-08-29
講 題：Ramification of higher education between Taiwan and Korea
主講人：金榮贊博士 訪問學人 (中研院社會所)
時 間：105年09月09日（星期五）下午2時30 分 - 下午4時30分
地 點：社會所8樓802會議室
～自由入席，無需事前報名～
英文演講
演講摘要：The primary discussion of this seminar concerns the comparative analysis between economic development and the role of higher education. The human capital investment is considered a significant contributor to the notion of economic growth and development. Taiwan and Korea, as leading countries in terms of education-industry-development can be considered astute examples of this mode of education led industrial growth in the international context. However, since the Asian economic crisis in 1997 and the 2008 Anglo-American financial crisis, there has been significant changes in the higher education sectors in both countries, as a consequence of mass recruitment in university and lower employment opportunities. There has been various critical discussions concerning the role of higher education and its ability to enhance social mobility and conform to the ideals of meritocracy. The key area of discussion primarily concerns the magnitude and the likelihood of social mobility, the common thesis is that higher education ultimately leads to an increase in human capital and hence allows individuals to become socially mobile, yet, extensive research seems to claim that this idea of social mobility, as a by-product of higher education, is merely a myth. This brings forth a dilemma for emerging countries as the majority of these nations have invested heavily in education with the fundamental aim of improving the human capital of their workforce which they believed would stimulate economic development and class mobility. However, after intensive research in the given countries, the common behaviour in Korea seems to challenge the idea that higher education and meritocracy is no longer a mode of social mobility. Not only is there the idea of ‘cram schooling’ in order to enrol in the top three universities in Korea, but extra curriculum activities and tuition for children and teenagers constitute to more than 40% of spending in an average household. This level of mass spending and stubborn belief demonstrates that the Korean society is moving back to the traditional aristocracy social systems which dominated the nation until the late 1980s. Based on current research there seems to be a similar trend in Taiwan. The emphasis on higher education seems almost obligatory and a social norm. I would like to state that despite the fact that I disagree with the idea of higher education having no effect on social mobility, the effects have definitely dampened in recent decades and hence a return to the aristocratic modes of society seems to be brewing.
講者簡介：Young-Chan Kim is Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Business and Economics and member of Chinese Business Network at the University of Greenwich, London. His main research before joined the University was international business and foreign direct investment among Asian multinational enterprises, with several publications; ‘Newly Industrialising Economies and International Competitiveness’ (Palgrave, 2006), ‘Challenging Globalisation and Post-Crisis Reform’ (Chandos Publication, 2009). Since 2010 he intensively focused on China and global business and published ‘Chinese Global Production Networks in ASEAN’ (Springer, 2015), ‘US Firms’ Business Competence in the Taiwanese IT Industry’ (Springer, 2016), ‘China and Africa’ (Palgrave, 2017)’ and forthcoming ‘Chinese Digital Economy’ (Palgrave, Oct. 2017) and ‘China and Europe’ (2018)
主講人：金榮贊博士 訪問學人 (中研院社會所)
時 間：105年09月09日（星期五）下午2時30 分 - 下午4時30分
地 點：社會所8樓802會議室
～自由入席，無需事前報名～
英文演講
演講摘要：The primary discussion of this seminar concerns the comparative analysis between economic development and the role of higher education. The human capital investment is considered a significant contributor to the notion of economic growth and development. Taiwan and Korea, as leading countries in terms of education-industry-development can be considered astute examples of this mode of education led industrial growth in the international context. However, since the Asian economic crisis in 1997 and the 2008 Anglo-American financial crisis, there has been significant changes in the higher education sectors in both countries, as a consequence of mass recruitment in university and lower employment opportunities. There has been various critical discussions concerning the role of higher education and its ability to enhance social mobility and conform to the ideals of meritocracy. The key area of discussion primarily concerns the magnitude and the likelihood of social mobility, the common thesis is that higher education ultimately leads to an increase in human capital and hence allows individuals to become socially mobile, yet, extensive research seems to claim that this idea of social mobility, as a by-product of higher education, is merely a myth. This brings forth a dilemma for emerging countries as the majority of these nations have invested heavily in education with the fundamental aim of improving the human capital of their workforce which they believed would stimulate economic development and class mobility. However, after intensive research in the given countries, the common behaviour in Korea seems to challenge the idea that higher education and meritocracy is no longer a mode of social mobility. Not only is there the idea of ‘cram schooling’ in order to enrol in the top three universities in Korea, but extra curriculum activities and tuition for children and teenagers constitute to more than 40% of spending in an average household. This level of mass spending and stubborn belief demonstrates that the Korean society is moving back to the traditional aristocracy social systems which dominated the nation until the late 1980s. Based on current research there seems to be a similar trend in Taiwan. The emphasis on higher education seems almost obligatory and a social norm. I would like to state that despite the fact that I disagree with the idea of higher education having no effect on social mobility, the effects have definitely dampened in recent decades and hence a return to the aristocratic modes of society seems to be brewing.
講者簡介：Young-Chan Kim is Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Business and Economics and member of Chinese Business Network at the University of Greenwich, London. His main research before joined the University was international business and foreign direct investment among Asian multinational enterprises, with several publications; ‘Newly Industrialising Economies and International Competitiveness’ (Palgrave, 2006), ‘Challenging Globalisation and Post-Crisis Reform’ (Chandos Publication, 2009). Since 2010 he intensively focused on China and global business and published ‘Chinese Global Production Networks in ASEAN’ (Springer, 2015), ‘US Firms’ Business Competence in the Taiwanese IT Industry’ (Springer, 2016), ‘China and Africa’ (Palgrave, 2017)’ and forthcoming ‘Chinese Digital Economy’ (Palgrave, Oct. 2017) and ‘China and Europe’ (2018)
