High Threat Perception and Successful Development: The Case of Japan and South Korea 1945-1991

This thesis aims to understand the rapid development of South Korea and Japan after the end of World War II, in light of their distinctive cultures, Asian security issues, the massive influx of American aid and the policies followed by their respective governments. It argues that high threat perception leads both democracies and autocracies to generate interventionist economic policies that lead to development. It further concludes that policies have more influence on development than their respective regime type. This research relies on the mixed methods approach and analyses the correlation between threat perception and the policies implemented by an autocracy (South Korea) and a democracy (Japan) over 1945-91. It includes the disciplines of International Relations, Psychology and Economics taking in account the liberal Keynesian economics to explain the links between the variables.