"Gridlock in the 18th Korean National Assembly." 2010. Journal of Korean Politics Vol.19(1): 123-145.
Dissertation
My dissertation project, Demographic Crises and Policy-Making in South Korea, examines the political and policy consequences of population decline and demographic aging. The so-called "demographic time-bomb'" has become a major political issue in many developed countries, raising a series of fascinating questions for political scientists: How do population crises influence politics? How do governments counteract these demographic problems? What kind of policies are chosen and which are more effective in achieving their goals? I answer these questions by focusing on three types of local policies in South Korea - bride importation, immigrant integration, and fiscal policies. Drawing on extensive field research in South Korea and cutting-edge quantitative methodologies, my research contributes to various literature, including Korean and East Asian politics, politics of immigration, urban and local politics, gender politics, and representation and accountability.
Working Papers
"The Politics of Bride Importation: Competitive Immigration Policy in South Korea."
"When Two Heads Are Better Than One: Population Decline, Representation, And Distributive Politics in South Korea."
"Upending Impunity: Prosecuting Presidents in Contemporary Latin America" (Co-authored with Gretchen Helmke, Jae Eun Kim, and Seda Ozturk, under review)
"Vertical Coercion and Local Integration Policy in South Korea"
"Threats or Opportunity? Balancing Issue Salience as Mainstream Party Response to Green Party Emergence."
Works In Progress
"Do Welfare Magnets Attract Immigrants? Evidence From South Korea.''
"One Child Policy in China and North Korean Defectors." (with Gretchen Helmke)
"The Politics of Re-migration: Evidence from Japan and South Korea."
"Presidents and Their Parties: Party Strategies under Presidentialism." "Party Defection Voting in South Korea."