Given the (physical, cultural, institutional and psychic) distance between Korea and Sweden, some people may think that Korea and Sweden never get closer. Yet both countries surprisingly share many things in common and could potentially complement each other by highlighting their own competitive (or comparative) advantages. With a comparative thinking, the guest lecture focus will be not only on the similarities and differences between both countries, but also on the lessons to learn from each other, as well as how Korea and Sweden could address current and future socio-economic problems that both countries and the world face.
Ji-Won Song is a postdoctoral fellow at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). He earned a master’s from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a PhD from the Stockholm School of Economics. His research interests include comparative capitalism, international HRM, HQ-subsidiary relationships, and sustainability. In his PhD dissertation "Institutional variety: exploring the interplay between context and agency in Korean and Japanese business systems", he studies an array of issues in comparative institutional analysis with a focus on (sectoral, regional or multilevel) institutional heterogeneity and East Asian business systems. His current research is focusing on the activities to foster gender equality practices of MNE subsidiaries with the context of Sweden, Korea and Japan. He has taught and led several courses (e.g. Institutions and Economic Development, East Asia & the Global Economy: Advanced Analyses) at the SSE. Prior to coming to SSE, he worked as a research associate at the Korea Labor Institute (KLI).
