Social Conflict and Regime Formation: A Comparative Study of South Korea and Costa Rica

This article seeks to identify the social origins of authoritarianism in South Korea and social democracy in Costa Rica. Although both countries entered the modern world system through colonialism, they developed contrasting regime types in the postcolonial period. It is claimed that the key to divergent regime formation rested on the contrasting patterns of power distribution and coalition opportunities among the state and various social classes. This thesis uses historical evidence drawn from South Korea and Costa Rica.