The Supporting Statement
I am Korean and am interested to participate in resolving social issues. But until the start of my Masters course at the Sydney University, I never thought I would be a student of Political Economy, because mostly in Korea mediocre students pursue the course. Reading books on economics was one of my hobbies until Australian Government changed their immigration policy, due to Global Financial Crisis. Hence, I had to choose my Australia immigration plan.
My late oversee study Plan had included immigration plan, because at that time my country, South Korea, was struggled with new economic and social transformation, which was caused by IMF program included financialisation after 1997 Asian Crisis. The crucial program has caused highest suicide rate in history of the country. I just wanted to live, and I believed that if I escaped from Korea, there might be a way to survive.
But soon the crises were caused to change even the Australian Government’s immigration program, for decreasing number of permanent residency visa issue for preparing expected global economy recession in middle of my study. It was capital punishment to me because I put everything in the plan.
After that, I thought that “until now, I did everything that society asked to me to but the same was futile, and hence I decided to do what I really want. “Main reason was the obvious fact that the system has problems rather than individuals, like me”.
It was the turning point of my life. In my interview with Dr Bill Dunn who was associated with the Department of Political Economy at Sydney University, I was asked why the left is so much incompetent. And also, I was asked that “people like political economy, I can also study Political Economy.” Fortunately, I had a chance to enrol as a master’s student of Political Economy course.
During the course, I was really satisfied with the course, not only because I had a chance to learn political economic issue like international Labor migration. The classes about ‘migration labour’ was sensational because it taught that the Australian Government classified me as ‘a skilled labour’. The subject was a systemic study that teaches how we are treated by the foreign authority, and what is a social engineering program, that maintains capitalist production line in international level but also, I had a chance to conduct more deeply research about the role of financial industry in social and political transformation in European Union with Political economic perspective in curriculum that Joshph Halevi designed.
From the study experiences in the class, I have developed interest in socioeconomic transformation during the Neo Liberalism era. Especially, I was more comfortable with researching financialisation rather than international labour migration, maybe my bachelor’s degree and career background were accounting. Under the assumption that we are living in a stable international production line, which another word, material supporting of BRIC economies that linked with international trade to deliver the goods to core countries mainly, most significant rising subject matter of political economy research in advanced countries maybe financialisation. Because it’s influence in the developed countries is significant, compare with other political economic issues theoretically, and also practically, yet it has short research history. So, it might be reasonable to say, it is a new station appeared on the old thoroughfare.
However, it was not easy to decide to apply for a Ph. D course because of my lack of information about institutions and academics in the field. From my experience, when I asked to Australian academics, they have commonly recommended one institution on their list, SOAS London University. And also, when I travelled to UK in 2017, Dr Ha-Joon Chang recommend Dr Costas Lapavitsas as a distinguished academic in the financialisation research.
I am interesting to be a Ph Dr candidate under supervision of Dr Lapavitsas, because it is a great opportunity to learn about the influenced scholar’s methodology and to be trained as a specialised researcher. I strongly hope that I have the honour.