Translating Foreign Aid Policy Locally: South Korea’s Modernization Process Revisited

In this article I consider the links between foreign aid and policy transformations in aid-receiving countries, with a particular reference to the South Korean modernization process. The main analytical points concern not only how to identify foreign aid policy affecting Korea’s modernization projects in the period of state building but also how to interpret the role of local partners in dealing with international aid transfers. I assert that policy transfers in the aid industry cannot be successfully completed without the consideration of policy takers’ reflective translation of foreign aid in the local contexts. The Korean experience presents a proactive pattern of policy translation (reflecting local autonomy in dealing with foreign aid), rather than policy transfer (reflecting the implantation of donor-driven aid projects), by situating international policies in the local context with strong ownership and commitment. Indeed, the substantive path of policy transfers is viewed as a social construct that reflects local partners’ strategic interests and development planning.