# Baek Seung-Jin

Seung Jin Baek (Korean: 백승진; born 1982) is a South Korean political economist and strategist at the United Nations, specializing in political economy of sustainable development.

## Early life and education

Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1982, Baek studied mathematics at Korea University earning qualifications as a U.S. Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and U.S. Associated Person (AP) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He pursued graduate studies in strategy at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, inspired by Futurist, Ray Kurzweil to explore the Technology S-Curve. Baek published numerous journal articles applying this concept to strategic management. He later received his Ph.D. in political economy from the University of Bath.

## Career

After completing his 26-months military service where in part he worked in the Cyber Terror Response Center of the National Police Agency, Baek began his professional career with strategic management and advisory firms, including KPMG, focusing on developing management strategies for various firms. Upon passing the UN Competitive Examination in 2009, he joined the United Nations, primarily focused on evidence-based policies in development plans, strategies, and frameworks. His roles have included positions at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Economic Commission for Africa, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the Resident Coordinator System, and United Nations Population Fund.
Baek's area of policy specialization is at the nexus of sustainable development, structuralist economics and demographic transition strategies. He is the author of numerous scholarly journal articles and policy briefs in these fields, a columnist for South Korean newspapers, The Hankyoreh and Maeil Business Newspaper, and the author of four books published by Palgrave Macmillan, Routledge, and South Korean publishers.
In addition to his professional duties, Baek has been actively involved in community and society activities. He has served as a Member of the Special Committee on Global Strategy and as the Chairperson of the Middle East Standing Committee for Public Diplomacy of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council in South Korea. Additionally, he has held the position of Executive Director at the Korean Association in Lebanon. He has also served as a keynote speaker for various prestigious institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seoul National University, Korea University, Korean National Police University, and KDI School of Public Policy and Management, and among others.

## Selected works
### Papers

* Armah, Bartholomew; Baek, Seung Jin (2019-05-30). "Prioritising interventions for sustainable structural transformation in Africa: a structural equation modelling approach". Review of Social Economy. 77 (3): 297–325. doi:10.1080/00346764.2019.1602277.
* Baek, Seung Jin (2019-01-10). "Cooperating in Africa's sustainable structural transformation: policymaking capacity and the role of emerging economies". International Development Planning Review. 41 (4). doi:10.3828/idpr.2019.21.
* Armah, Bartholomew; Baek, Seung Jin (2017-01-13). "Can the SDGs Promote Structural Transformation in Africa? An Empirical Analysis". Development. 58 (4): 473–491. doi:10.1057/s41301-016-0049-6. ISSN 1461-7072. S2CID 90354536.
* Chang, Yu Sang; Baek, Seung Jin (2010-06-01). "Limit to improvement: Myth or reality?: Empirical analysis of historical improvement on three technologies influential in the evolution of civilization". Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 77 (5): 712–729. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2010.02.010. ISSN 0040-1625.

### Books

* Baek, Seung Jin (2021). Structural Transformation and Sustainable Development in the Global South: An Integrated Approach. Routledge. ISBN 9781032195865.
* 백승진 (2019). 어떤 나라에 살고 있습니까: 불평등의 한국 사회 진단과 해법 (in Korean). 다할미디어. ISBN 979-11-8970-679-1.
* Baek, Seung Jin (2018). The Political Economy of Neo-modernisation: Rethinking the Dynamics of Technology, Development and Inequality. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-3-319-91394-0.
* 백승진 (2013). Are you ready: 준비하라! 내일이 네 인생의 첫날인 것처럼. 아유레디 (in Korean). 홍익출판사. ISBN 978-89-7065-396-9.