After the East Asian financial crisis of 1997, both the developmental state and the theory of the developmental state seem out of mode. The theory of developmental state consists of many propositions, which are unsystematic, contradictory, and taken for granted. This study grouped these propostions into five categories: universal, developmental, expedient, historical, and specific. This author checked the empirical bases of these propositions with literature from area studies. Results show many well-known propositons and concepts are problematic and subject to reconsideration. The author presented new interpretations for state autonomy, technocrats, generalization of historical and cultural factors, embeddedness, and even the meaning of development. In conclusion, developmental state's roles are still and even more critical in globalization. The only passing is the authoritarian and neomerchantialist developmental strategy.