Bok Jeong

Bok Jeong is an Associate Professor of Public Administration at Kean University in New Jersey, United States, and a Research Fellow at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development in Geneva, Switzerland. As a Research Fellow at UNRISD, he studies the impact of social and solidarity economy organizations on developing countries in Asia. He holds a Ph.D. in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

The project

Title: The Social and Solidarity Economy and Sustainable Development: Comparative Perspectives from Europe and Asia

"This study aims to examine the roles of social and solidarity economy (SSE) in the sustainable development of low- and middle-income countries in Southeast Asia, with a focus on public policy mobilization and leadership's role in fostering inclusion and equity. The question is to what extent this government-led SSE model is applicable in other parts of Asia, specifically Southeast Asia, given that this region has substantially different economic, societal, cultural roots and history. Southeast Asia is the global melting pot of cultures where ancient traditions, religions, and ethnic groups blend with modern influences (Hedman, 2001; Hhlin, 2016; Hughes, 2009). This is quite different from East Asia where still cultural and ethnic homogeneity is the main feature with Confucianism tradition still prevails. Southeast Asian countries can be an interesting contrast and comparison to see the variations in the intensity of stateness in affecting development in respective countries. Southeast Asian countries’ SSE can be also reflective of its feature of overall civil society but it is more complex given that SSE is comprised of hybrid organizations in the mix of three interest logics (ESCAP, 2021; Bidet & Defourny, 2019)."

Hosting institution: Le Mans Université - Institut Montparnasse - Fédération Nationale de la Mutualité Française

Selective Bibliography

• Moloney, K., Billingsley, G., Jeong, B. G., Thornton, T., Pulido, P. S. & Zeemering, E. (2025). The Routledge Handbook on Crisis, Poly Crisis, and the Public Administration, Routledge. (Book co-editor).
• Jeong, B. & Han, M. (2024). “Does social media marketing incorporating accreditation information enhance online users’ positive behavioral intentions towards nonprofit organizations?” Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing.
• Jeong, B. & An, S. & Shin, G. (2023). “Mapping policy agenda in international development: Reflections on OECD Development Centre working papers from 1990 to 2017,” Journal of International Development.
• Jeong, B. & Kim, S. (2021). “The Government and Civil Society Collaboration against COVID-19 in South Korea: A Single or Multiple Actor Play?” Nonprofit Policy Forum.
• Jeong, B. (2015). “Developmental state and South Korean social enterprise model,” Social Enterprise Journal, Special Issue-An International Institutional Framework for Understanding Social Enterprise Country Models: A Critique and Expansion. Vol. 11 (2), pp. 116-137.
• Jeong, B. & Kearns, K. (2015). “Accountability in Korean NPOs: Perceptions and strategies of NPO leaders,” VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Vol. 26 (5), pp 1975-200