Developmental Nationalism and Public Support for Foreign Direct Investment Inflow: Evidence from South Korea *

Does nationalism necessarily breed opposition to foreign economic engagement?Challenging the conventional wisdom derived primarily from Western contexts, this study examines how developmental nationalism-a form of nationalist sentiment centered on pride in national economic achievementsshapes public attitudes toward foreign direct investment (FDI).I argue that in post-developmental states where economic achievement constitutes the core of national identity, nationalism can paradoxically foster support for FDI as an instrument of national advancement.Using original survey data from South Korea (N=2,084), I find that individuals scoring high on a developmental nationalism index express greater support for encouraging inward FDI, and this relationship remains robust across alternative outcomes and extensive controls for demographics, ideology, state-intervention preferences, and attitudes toward foreign countries.Notably, this relationship is driven specifically by pride in economic achievements rather than by generalized national affect or pride in political institutions.However, developmental nationalism does not predict support for M&A deregulation, suggesting that such openness is conditional.These findings indicate that the content of nationalism matters: when national identity is tied to developmental achievements, patriotic sentiment can align with, rather than oppose, global economic integration.