Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005

Research Overview

My research interests are in the comparative political economy of developing and developed countries. In general, my research explores the longstanding, but critical issue in comparative historical/political sociology and social movements – the relationship between the state and civil society in changing international contexts and its impacts on key socio-economic outcomes, specifically inequality, governance, and development. My research projects embrace the most significant issue in contemporary social science: the ways in which elites and citizens in modern capitalist economy organize and mobilize themselves within and outside state institutions, often utilizing or opposing to them, to enhance individual or collective well-being.

In particular, my early work focused on inequality, notably by highlighting the role of domestic political mechanisms in accounting for income inequality. My research has also examined the impacts of economic globalization and international migration on civil society, especially old and new social movement organizations.

My current research interests explore governance and welfare states, especially focusing on the effects of organizational configuration of civil society on the institutional changes and social policy outcomes. This research agenda further explores the ways in which changing size and configuration of associational activities affect regime changes, distributional and developmental outcomes, and the qualities and policy orientations of state institutions. The current research agenda includes the role of the linkages between unions and middle class- or community-based civic associations in enhancing the quality of government. The research extends to the importance of the organizational solidarity between union and women’s movement organizations in accounting for women-friendly socio-political outcomes.

Selected Publications

Lee, Cheol-Sung. 2007. “Labor Unions and Good Governance: A Cross-National, Comparative Study.” American Sociological Review 72: 585-609.

Lee, Cheol-Sung, François Nielsen, and Arthur Alderson. 2007. “Income Inequality, Global Economy, and the State.” Social Forces 86: 77-112.

Lee, Cheol-Sung. 2007. “Why Do Some Employees Support Welfare States More than Others?: Skill Profiles and Social Policy Preferences in the United States” Social Science Research 36: 688-718.

Lee, Cheol-Sung. 2005. “International Migration, Deindustrialization, and Union Decline in 16 Affluent OECD Countries, 1962-1997.” Social Forces 84: 71-88.

Lee, Cheol-Sung. 2005. “Income Inequality, Democracy, and Public Sector Size.” American Sociological Review 70: 158-181.