Han Unbound: The Political Economy of South Korea
"By stitching together political, economic, and social factors, Lie has produced a very useful book. . . . For the general reader, his book provides an excellent, balanced summary that covers all the bases. It is not only clearly written but enjoyable to read.  Lie draws on Korean literature and stories of real people to bring his narrative to life." —Perspectives on Political Science"Wrinting from the perspective of a sociologist, Lie adroitly chronicles the profound sociological, political, and economic transformation of South Korea in the last half century. . . . This fascinating book is beautifully written, with a first-person account of Lie's experiences."—Choice"Lie writes with a keen sense of the analytical; that is, he tries to explain rather than simply describe. He also denonstrates a sound graspof the relevant literature, and his arguments are supported with a wealth of sociological and cultural observations and interesting factual details without compromising his analytical endeavor. . . . with his analysis of the tremendous strain and human costs this rapid and irreversible transformation has exacted from Korean scity, its culture, and its people."—Journal of Developing Areas"in this work, Lie has successfully examined a vast amount of literature on South Korean development produced by economists, sociologists, political scientists and historians. . . .Han Unboundis a recommendable work, especially for those who wish to acquaint themselves with the broad historical background and process of South Korean development in a theoretically informed manner."—Canadian Journal of Development Studies"Han Unboundis one of those few books that showed a healthy skepticism toward the way the South Korean economy had developed in recent decades...Each chapter offers an interesting and well-informed account of the ways in which economic change has occurred...But its chief merit is that it offers a highly readable, interesting, and insightful analysis of the political economy of South Korean development."—American Journal of Sociology