Analyzing the social implications resulting from governmental reactionary policies to the evolving relationships among global knowledge economies, as observed in the case of South Korea.
Introduction:
No matter how the phenomena of the digital divide is defined, the fact remains that certain stakeholders have taken it upon themselves to promote the idea that this issue is a real problem, and that measures should be taken to correct, or at least attempt to remedy the situation. Globalization has created an environment of national and cultural interconnectivity among countries and these nations have joined together to create principal bodies of governance such as the United Nations. The purposes of these groups are to promote perceived globally relevant solutions to shared concerns. In actuality, these supposed mutual matters are defined by the self-interest motivators of those parties wielding the most influence in the governing body. As we will see, these motivations have indirect affects not only on the administration level such as the case of policies, but also in shaping the behavior of the civil sector. That is to say, members of society are affected by the policies their governments prescribe.
In the case of the UN, delegates from member nations come together to promote a philosophy of global policy they feel is morally and ethically benevolent. The UN charter claims that their purpose as an organization is to “develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these ends.” SOURCE The UN in turn puts pressure on its member states to conform to this philosophy. It remains in the best interest of each country to abide by these ideas since economic incentives are relatively proportional to publications by the UN and related bodies regarding their current administrative state. For example, the World Bank bases it consideration for loans and research funding on the Human Development Reports that indexes each nation according to factors deemed appropriate by concerned United Nation committees.
Figure A: The Human Development Index:
A value determined by the following factors
The influences of these global organizations are eventually transmigrated to the administrative level of national governments. These governments, through natural desires to out compete other nations culturally and economically, create policies which in turn directly influence their member populous. In terms of the digital divide, these governments receive pressure from an array of interest-motivated entities hoping to successfully influence new or reformed policies that will affect the digital phenomena in accordance to their unique rationale. The aim of this project centers on how the South Korean government has reacted to these pressures through an analysis of its policies affecting economic development, followed by a presentation of the social implications that have resulted from this development.
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UN |
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UN Family in Korea |
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UNEP |
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IVI |
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UNIDO |
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UNHCR |
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UNESCO |
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UNICEF |
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Figure B: Pressuring bodies of influence on Korea
