Ha-Joon Chang

Ha-Joon Chang, a South Korean economist, is an author and academic specializing in development economics, economic history, and the political economy of industrial policy. He is the author of multiple books, including Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism, that discuss and challenge the prevailing views of the orthodox mainstream economic narrative. He is also a frequent guest on radio and television programs, such as BBC’s NewsNight and BBC News, as well as documentaries such as BBC2’s The Choppers and Survivors.

Ha-Joon Chang's primary focus as an author and economist is to present a critical stance to the current mainstream economic narrative. His academic positions focus in various aspects of political economy, development economics, and economic history and involve positions at the University of Cambridge, the University of Manchester, and most recently, the University of Seoul. In addition, he holds the post of adjunct professor at Seoul National University.

Chang's earliest works, Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism, offer powerful critiques of the current mainstream economic views. He suggests that countries, especially developed countries, promote policies that benefit their own industries, yet criticize developing countries for utilizing similar tactics, he terms this phenomenon the “bad samaritan effect”. In Bad Samaritans, Chang presents a comparative analysis of economies to demonstrate how governments must actively invest in their own industries to be competitive, and that economic history is not necessarily a straightforward narrative of poor countries needing wealthy countries to save them, or that freer trade is what helps those countries become stronger.

The foundation of Chang's criticism of the current economic trends and mainstay economic policies lies in institutional economics. He believes that technologies, firms, markets and organizations are all social constructs, and are coordinated by politics and policies. His writings demonstrate how economic interventions can help to build long-term successful strategies for economic growth, for more inclusive and equitable development, and for greater sustainability.

Ha-Joon Chang is a renowned academic and writer, and his works have received multiple awards. In 1994, his first book, The Political Economy of Industrial Policy, won the Giber-Haberler Prize for best international dissertation, awarded by the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva. In 2003, he was awarded the Leontief Prize for Advancing the frontiers of Economic Thought from Tufts University.

In addition to Chang's critiques of current mainstream economics, his writings demonstrate how governments must actively invest in specific sectors and industries to build strategies that will result in economic growth and development. He offers a variety of empirical evidence and case studies, as well as descriptions of how various countries have implemented such strategies effectively (or not). Chang also makes it clear that any economic intervention must also account for other factors, such as a country's culture and political structure.

Ha-Joon Chang's work has been taught in universities around the world, and he has been featured in multiple outlets, ranging from newspapers and magazines to radio, television and documentaries. Ultimately, Chang's works are a living testament to his commitment to changing the current framework of orthodox economic narrative, and proposing a new way of looking at the economics of development.