The Kimchi Matters: Global Business and Local Politics in a Crisis-Driven World

by Marvin Zonis, Dan Lefkovitz, Sam Wilkin

With The Kimchi Matters, Marvin Zonis, Dan Lefkovitz, and Sam Wilkin return discussion of globalization and international relations to first principles. Globalization hype has obscured a few basic truths—that political stability and economic growth are usually determined on the local level, and that they are most affected by local institutions, leadership, corruption, and other such factors. The Kimchi Matters shows that globalization (and events like the Iraq War and the September 11 attacks) makes understanding the political economies of distant countries more important than ever. The book lays out an intuitive framework for making sense of international economic and political developments. Time and again, investors and foreign policymakers have been hurt because they failed to understand the kimchi—the unique local dynamics at work in a particular country or region. Investors, corporations, and everyone else with a stake in international peace, prosperity, and stability should take heed.

356 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jeremy Kitchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not a book for everyone. Sadly, despite the title, this book does not go into much detail about kimchi. But if you love Macroeconomics (who doesn't really) and are interested in geopolitical events of the late 20th century into the turn of the century, you would appreciate this book. It looks at countries as case studies for why some countries remain stable while others are destabilized.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, my progress on this book was not fast. To be fair to the Authors, this was primarily a function of what was going on in my life, not the pacing of the narrative. However, the book uses the classic Harvard Business School case study method, so as the book jumped between the economies of various countries, I sometimes found it easy to put down between case studies and harder to pick back up at a later date. However, as I said, I blame my lack of attention and not the skill of the writers. The case studies are quite interesting, and include examples from all over the Globe: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

BLUF: This is an International Business book; with a healthy dose of geopolitics thrown in. it is very much a study of Globalization, but how students of Globalization must also take into account the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies of the micro-markets. The “Kimchi” of the title is shorthand for organic trends and characteristics of individual economies (and states) that must be taken into consideration and cannot be underestimated. Although the book is somewhat dated (Published 2003), the assessments and predictions hold up well. The final chapter on China (PRC) is especially interesting. I recommend this book to any student of Globalization or International Business.

The book is broadly divided into four parts: Discontent, Managing Discontent, Leadership, and Policy. The first half is more political, while the latter more economic in nature. I personally enjoyed the case studies in Sub-Saharan Africa (Botswana, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) as well as the final chapter on the People’s Republic of China. Definitely recommend.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent for anyone interested in how global politics work. The authors have a flair for making what might be a dry subject, instead read as though it was the latest thriller. Up till now my knowledge of how regional politics could affect other areas of the world was limited to large scale events, but it is amazing how events in one country can suddenly impact dozens of nations. I also loved the dissection of how to be an effective dictator.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good treatise on global trade, the economies of the world, the governments that regulate them and what has proven to be successful development strategy compared to what are referred to as 'failed states'. Good reading for Economics and Political Science majors, as it provides many case studies and real world politico instead of dry, worn-out textbook content.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommend to anyone interested on doing business on a global scale.