Sanghyun Han

Article

  • 2024. "Data and statecraft: why and how states localize data." Business & Politics, 26(2): 263-88.
    • Abstract This paper explores the motives and mechanisms behind data localization implemented by states to protect data, which is essential to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. Despite the significant negative aspects of data localization for states, the practice has become increasingly prevalent, leading to the unexplored question of why states choose to implement it. This suggests that data localization is a form of economic means derived from digital technologies and employed by states to serve political objectives. Focusing on the data in platforms, the theoretical mechanism of data localization is captured in light of two factors: network perception and security externality. Network perception pertains to a state’s perception of the positive network effect generated by platforms, while security externality refers to a state’s consideration of the security implications in relation to the economic benefits derived from the positive network effect, serving the national interest in domestic and/or international contexts. To substantiate these theoretical propositions, the paper employs a comparative case study approach where Vietnam, Singapore, and Indonesia have been chosen as empirical cases based on the selection strategy. The paper bridges the concept of economic statecraft with digital technologies, fosters interdisciplinary discussions, and offers policy implications.
  • 2021. "What is Behind the China Rule in 2007: Motivations for the Bush Administration’s Export Control Policy Against China." Korean Journal of International Studies, 19(3): 303-38.
    • Abstract Although export control policy for dual-use items has been getting attention recently, particularly due to the Trump administration’s frequent usage of the term, it is worth noting that the history of post-Cold War export control policy dates back to 2007—i.e., during the Bush administration. China Rule, as an export control policy, rather than an ordinary export policy, provides the foundation for controlling export toward China. This study examines why the Bush administration implemented such a policy specifically in 2007, and then moves on to specify China Rule as the dependent variable. With an emphasis on both perceptual and cognitive aspects of human decision-makers, the theoretical framework not only draws from the area of foreign policy analysis, but builds on the concept of securitization to capture the essence of China policy behaviors. Separating reconstructed reality from objective reality, this study captures the former by exploring pertinent indicators such as high technology trade or research indicators. Major decision makers from the cabinet to the bureaucracy hold hostile views against China, so they interpret the given information pessimistically and urge policy actions, regardless of U.S. leadership in high technology sectors. As a result, their belief system reconstructs negative rhetoric and pushes the Bush administration to counteract the national security threat raised by China. As China Rule presents a comprehensive message to China by elevating the issue to national security concerns, it introduces a crucial case to buttress recalibration of US China policy and to provide implications in US-China technology competition.

Working Paper

  • "From Shock to Strategy: How States Manage Digital Platform Dependence" (with Jenny Jun) [Manuscript]
    • Abstract In recent years, the rise of digital platform firms has introduced a new layer of complexity to the relationship between multinational corporations (MNCs) and host states. These firms stand out in that they control critical digital infrastructure and data flows that the host states depend on, often operating with substantial autonomy. This asymmetric dependence also has a security dimension -- intentional or unintentional security incidents such as data breaches and system failures concerning such platforms can result in negative security externalities for a large portion of the host state population with far-reaching socio-political and economic repercussions. Such incidents can serve as "knowledge shocks" -- unexpected events that provide new information by exposing previously unknown or underappreciated features of the technological interdependence. However, host state responses to such knowledge shocks are often varied, ranging from inaction to full development of indigenous alternative technologies. We posit that such variation depends on the host state's technical and institutional capacity, which affects the state's ability to pursue outside options and impose regulatory measures upon the firm as they bargain for an outcome. We explore this dynamic through three case studies involving host states in the Indo-Pacific region: China-Microsoft, Indonesia-Facebook, and Japan-Line Yahoo Corporation.
  • "When Drone Functionality Meets Escalation: Experimental Evidence from South Korea and the US" (with Hyunsu Kim) [Manuscript]
    • Abstract While it is evident that military drones have proliferated globally, understanding how the public perceives these emerging technologies, particularly military drones, remains another critical area of investigation. This article aims to provide a more nuanced analysis of the public's understanding of drones by introducing two novel approaches. First, we categorize drones based on their primary functions: defensive and offensive. Additionally, the support for drones with different functions is not uniform but varies depending on whether a state faces an imminent threat. Through survey experiments in the US and South Korea, we confirm that drones are generally perceived as a low escalatory countermeasure, with the public viewing offensive functions as more escalatory than defensive ones. We then examine the heterogeneous effects of imminent threats on public preferences for drone functionality. The evidence suggests that South Korea is less sensitive to drone functionality compared to the US. Furthermore, we find that in both low and high escalation scenarios, the public without an imminent threat shows stronger support for defensive drones over offensive ones. Although we find conditional support for offensive drones as hypothesized, South Koreans show nuanced and conditional behavior, in part influenced by the relative insensitivity to drone functionality. The results indicate general support for defensive drones in both low and high escalation conditions.
  • "Balancing between Efficiency and Inefficiency: When Economic Sanctions Meet AI/ML" [Manuscript]
    • Abstract This article examines the conditions under which the US government gains or loses efficiency in federal affairs, particularly national security, through the adoption of artificial intelligence and machine-learning (AI/ML) technologies. Tracing the evolving approaches of US administrations, it highlights a shift from exploratory applications of AI/ML to more adoption in federal operations, including high-stakes areas such as national security. Using the US system of economic sanctions as a case study, it explores a paradoxical dynamic: while AI/ML has the potential to enhance efficiency by improving tasks such as licensing and tracking illicit financial transactions, its implementation introduces mediating factors that temper these gains. While tasks such as licensing and tracking illicit financial transactions can benefit from AI/ML adoption, inefficiencies arise when these systems fail to deliver accurate intelligence or decisions, require extensive explanations and additional validation, or impose high infrastructure costs, including investments in human capital and protective measures. It aims to alleviate uncertainty regarding AI/ML applications in national security and initiate broader discussions on their role in federal affairs, providing practical insights to guide future deliberations.

Policy Commentary