Faculty from the College of Community and Public Service will
showcase their research during a series of meetings in celebration of
the college’s 10th anniversary.
The Sabbatical Brown Bag Lunch & Learn Series kicks off
October 15, 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. in the Bicycle
Factory, room 330, at the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Water,
soft drinks and dessert will be provided.
Mark Hoffman, associate professor of public administration, will
present his research, “Of Money, Masks, and Miracles: Reassessing
South Korea’s ‘Miracle on the Han’!”
Hoffman was on sabbatical in fall 2012 in South Korea. “South
Korea has a most remarkable economic development history,” said
Hoffman. “Within a mere 30 years, the country evolved from one of the
poorest countries on Earth to one of the richest. Not fitting a ‘free
market’ or ‘centrally planned’ economic model, South Korea’s success
is often attributed to irreproducible, idiosyncratic characteristics
in its culture, usually traced to Confucianism and ethnic homogeneity.
"My thesis is that these idiosyncratic characteristics are
overemphasized, even in Korea itself, to protect prevailing economic
development theory and policy. In my presentation, I will critique
several common myths involving Korean economic development, and argue
that pragmatic decision-making, a strong and active public sector,
policy favoritism and protectionism toward indigenous big business,
and indoctrination of the profit motive are responsible for South
Korea’s success.”
The next meeting will be October 29 when Brian Kingshott,
associate professor of criminal justice, will present from his
sabbatical in Geneva, Switzerland and Iceland, “Geneva Centre for the
Democratic Control of Armed Forces: Toolkit for Police Integrity.”
