Sukkoo Kim

Sukkoo Kim

Associate Professor of Economics
PhD, UCLA
research interests:
  • Economic History
  • Urban and Regional Economics
  • Trade and Development

contact info:

mailing address:

  • Department of Economics
    MSC 1088‐137‐138
    Washington University in St. Louis
    One Brookings Drive
    St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

Sukkoo Kim is an associate professor of economics whose research and teaching focus on American economic history as well as international trade and economics.

Kim is a scholar of geography and institutions from a historical perspective. Geographically, he has documented and examined the causes of the historical trends in U.S. regional economies; institutionally, he has studied the histories of American colonies and states. Kim has also written papers on the rise of modern business enterprises in the U.S. as well as aspects of the Canadian and Indian economies.

His working book manuscript, “Creating the American State,” is focused on understanding the origins of American exceptionalism, an idea first introduced by Alexis DeTocqueville in “Democracy in America.” Kim argues that to understand why the American states were so exceptional by the early 19th century, it is not simply enough to consider American history and context. You need to travel back in time to study the institutional histories of England and its colonies in America.

Kim joined the WashU Department of Economics in 1993. He held a joint appointment with the Department of Global Studies for a decade, and he served as a research associate with the National Bureau of Economics Research from 2000-2014.

Originally from Los Angeles, Kim received his bachelor's degree from Pomona College and his doctorate from UCLA. He is a backpacker of the Sierras and a lifelong fan of the Dodgers. 

 

recent courses

International Economics

This course provides an analysis of the international economy, the economic theories that help explain it, and analysis of important current issues of international economic policy. The course covers both trade and monetary issues. Prerequisites: Econ 1011 and Econ 1021.

    American Economic History

    Basic theoretical concepts applied to analyze the changing structure and performance of the American economy from colonial times to the present. Prerequisites: Econ 1011 and 1021.

      Selected Publications

      “Expansion of Markets and the Geographic Distribution of Economic Activities: The Trends in U.S. Regional Manufacturing Structure, 1860-1987,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 110 (4): 881-908

      “Economic Integration and Convergence: U.S. Regions, 1840-1990,” Journal of Economic History 1998 58 (3): 659-683 (See NBER Working Paper #6335 for a longer version)

      “Regions, Resources and Economic Geography: The Sources of U.S. Regional Comparative Advantage, 1880-1987,” Regional Science and Urban Economics 1999 29 (1): 1-32

      “Decomposing U.S. Regional Incomes,” Journal of Economic History, 1999 59 (3): 779- 786

      “The Rise of Multiunit Firms in U.S. Manufacturing,” Explorations in Economic History 1999 36 (4): 360-386 (See NBER Working Paper #6425 for an earlier version)

      Awards

      John M. Olin Foundation Faculty Research Fellowship, 1998-1999

      Faculty Research Grant, Washington University, 1997, 2005 

      Weidenbaum Center Research Grant, Washington University, 2001, 2005