STATES AND MARKETS IN EAST ASIA - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module investigates the relationship between state and market in East and West by discussing views on philosophical ideas of democracy, development and justice. The module will build upon theoretical perspectives, ranging from Marxism to neo-liberalism. The students will analyse the practical policy applications of these theories as they have been manifested through neo-liberal politics, the Welfare State model and particularly the Development State model. Topical case studies will focus on East-Asia. The region allows for a critical discussion of major economic models and how they function as justification for particular regime forms and vice versa. Students will engage in debates over the socio-political consequences of economic and political transformations.

It therefore builds on understanding of political and social philosophy on questions of welfare and justice acquired in POL1014 and more fundamentally on skills and knowledge obtained in POL2038 as it will deepen discussions on developmental strategies and state-market relations in political economy.

Module provider

Politics & International Relations

Module Leader

KAEDING Malte (Politics IR)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Topics discussed are likely to include but not be limited to the following:

• Theories of economic development and capitalism


•  Relationship between the state and markets, individuals and states, democracies and economics


• Case studies to include: Japan; South Korea; China; Taiwan; Hong Kong; Singapore and South East Asia


•  Beginning with economic development strategies in Japan, students will investigate the cases of South Korea and Taiwan and question whether China could also be described as development state. This is followed by a closer look at the state-economy relations in the world's two freest economies, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Alternative assessment is a mini-essay on the group presentation and script and film plan, (800 words) 20% x 2

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

• Critical engagement with the relevant literature, e.g. to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of development strategies


• Demonstrate understanding and capacity to apply theoretical arguments to the analysis of a country case study in East Asia


• Demonstrate the ability to group work and a critical analysis in an engaging presentation


• Capacity to deliver a focused critical analysis of a problem related to development and a country case study in East Asia in a short written essay (supporting documentation)


• Capacity to provide critical analysis of development strategies and East Asia socio-economic and political developments in an examination


• Their knowledge, skills, and critical thinking on key theoretical debates on development which includes the ability to identify not only theoretical variety but more importantly the contradictory nature of approaches and viability concepts


• Engagement with moral and ethical questions on development and recognise cultural sensitivities

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Supporting documentation of presentations


• Group presentation


• Open book exam, submitted as coursework

Formative assessment and feedback

Students will receive verbal feedback on their performance during lectures/seminars and in one to one meetings. Additionally, students will receive detailed written feedback on their group presentation and individual feedback on their supporting documentation by the module leader. They also receive written feedback on the presentations by peers. Furthermore summative work will be include feedback summarised in a cover sheet. Feedback is module-specific but is also designed to be used for feed-forward to other aspects of the degree programme as well.

Module aims

• To introduce students to the main theoretical and philosophical perspectives of state and market relations by focusing on individual freedom versus justice and common good.
• To familiarise students with major debates on economic development and the role of the state, and reflect on the viability of concepts and variations within theoretical approaches, hence fostering critical understanding.
• To show the developmental structure of East Asian economies in their socio-economic and historical context.
• To define the features which distinguish different routes of economic and political development from each other, and to consider the areas in which they overlap.
• To train students in the understanding, description, comparison and analysis of politico-economic development in East Asia.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

The teaching strategy follows a specifically developed model of engagement with students. This includes a discursive teaching style in which borders between lectures and seminars are fluid. The lectures/seminars will consciously not use any electronic support systems such Microsoft PowerPoint etc and instead focus on engaging students and on their active participation. Hence students will be expected to actively follow and also contribute to discussions during classes based on the reading material and their anticipated knowledge of current affairs. For post-class preparation brief lecture summaries are made available via the virtual learning environment. Students are constantly encouraged to formulate their own lines of enquiry, thus developing and testing their skills in respect of making appropriate critical judgments in respect of both theory and empirics. The case studies will be discussed in a lecture, which is followed by a group presentation by students on a specific aspect of development in the country case. The presentations are assessed and they are accompanied by a student-led discussion on the topic.

In preparation of the class, short videos with original mini lectures on specific concepts are made available via the virtual learning environment. This allows for deeper discussions in-class. For post-class preparation brief lecture summaries are also made available via the virtual learning environment. Students use Microsoft Teams to cooperate classmates for presentation preparations.

The learning and teaching methods include: lectures/seminars, presentations, student-led discussions, independent study, enquiry-based learning and prescribed reading.

There will be pre-recorded video lectures and additional digital resources available on SurreyLearn

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: POL3072

Other information

Digital Capabilities

Students are encouraged to work together in groups, utilising collaborative tools available by the university (Microsoft Teams) or communication and social media resources available by private commercial providers (WhatsApp etc). As with all modules, students are expected to engage with online material and resources via SurreyLearn, and other digital platforms.

Employability

This module provides students with a further deepening of their training on key research and analytical skills. Further transferable skills strengthened are group presentation capabilities and the ability to critically evaluate and communicate findings.

Resourcefulness and Resilience

The various assessment methods in this module strengthen resourcefulness through project-based learning. Students will experience the challenge of engaging with a geographical and cultural area they are unfamiliar with and will have to support each other in their collaborative learning. The in-class examination strengthens psychological resilience and time management.

Sustainability

The module emphasises the critical assessment of contemporary economic models and approaches to development. Students actively engage with environmental consequences of economic development and challenges for catch-up economies to fulfill sustainability goals.

Global and Cultural Capabilities

The module is based on a global perspective with a focus the East Asia geographic region and wider questions of responsibilities in economic and political development. Cultural sensitivities and different non-Western perspectives are highlighted in class discussions and through various guest lectures by experts from the geographical region discussed. Diverse experiences and views on development are encouraged and students are motivated to share experiences and knowledge from their own cultures and backgrounds and mutual respect.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.