미국학과 미국경제

American Studies and American Economy

The United States is a country. which has become close to us despite the short history of contact between the two countries. Especially during the latter half of 20th century one may go so far as to say that we have lived in a framework made by America politically. economically. militarily and culturally. In this respect the necessity of research and education in American Studies is self-evident. The purpose of studying the American economy includes to learn from the American experience. to be successful in trading with the states and to be a successful investor in the states. The first lesson we need to learn from the American economy is that the success and dynamism of the American economy is from its free market economy which it has had since the beginning of the country. Sometimes it went through recession and even a great depression but it overcame those problems and now stands as the biggest and strongest economy in the world. Sometimes it faced challenges from reformists. who argued for renovation to solve problems such as the aggravating income disparity and the corruption of bureaucrats linked to industrialists. Sometimes it faced the challenge of socialists who tried to capsize the economic system. It survived all those challenges and stands as a bulwark of the prosperous capitalism. During the 50 year period from 1930 to 1980. however. America has seen the expansion of government interference and the welfare system. which has caused a slowdown in productivity. Since 1980, however. the Reagan administration has revived the tradition of the market economy. which can be characterized as deregulation. low tax rate and reduced welfare programs. These changes in the 1980’s prepared the groundwork for the American economy to prosper in late 1990’s. which is often dubbed the "New Economy." This IS different from many Koreans’ idea that the American economy is a mixed economy with heavy government interference. In other words. Koreans Me generally more familiar with the liberal aspects of American economy than the conservative aspects ln this respect more attention should be given to the conservative aspects. It is because the success of the American economy is more due La the market economy than to government interference. In order to understand America as a trading partner or as a target of foreign investment. several other relevant subjects such as American government. social structure. thought and literature. law, geography. and agronomy should be studied. As American studies is a multidisciplinary subject. it requires a multidisciplinary approach to study the American economy.