The Mystery of Development: A Comparison of South Korea and Zambia Development Trajectory

Abstract

Development, since its birth from The Rise of the Age of Enlightenment remains a mystery. Development though infinite, has no standardized formula which countries worldwide can use to move from one end of the continuum to the other. What makes it more complex is the fact that science is not static but evolves every second due to the inquisitive nature of man. This is the reason why development will forever remain on the lips of every policy maker no matter the country’s stage of development. Einstein once articulated that politics is harder than science. The Eastern Asian countries like China and South Korea astonishing economic explosion have broken the status quo. At independence, South Korea and Zambia were almost at the same stage of development in the early 1960s. Today, it is no longer the case. South Korea has become the Miracle of Development and a modern industrial nation while Zambia has become a Development Disaster and a postal child of deindustrialization. The question is, what happened?

Keywords: Development, deindustrialization, Korea, Zambia, national integration, development-miracle

DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/59-05

Publication date: December 31^st 2019