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How democracy affects economic development
How democracy affects economic development
The role of democracy in economic development
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Introduction
Human civilization encompasses a lot of aspects. Among them is the ideology of democratization. Democratization is an unstoppable process which is much needed in the 21 century governance structures. East Asia is currently experiencing transitions from other former forms of running governments into democratization process of governance. Thus, after many years of struggle in development agendas, nations in East Asia are restructuring their systems to redefine their development process by instituting this democratization. In this generation, and other generations to come, democratization is the only tool that has the capability of pushing collective national development agenda into new higher platforms. It is a process that has been tested and proven to work. Its institution, implementation and sustainability is remarkably notable in Taiwan and South Korea.
What Caused Democratization?
Economic empowerment for both Taiwan and South Korea has undergone a number of transformations. Before democratization came in place, authoritarianism processes used to be in charge. This process has some element of democracy camouflaged in them but in the real sense they are not democratic. This is confirms to the reason why most democratic systems are first precedent by authoritarianism. This happens when the camouflaged democracy blossoms to be an unstoppable force that demands for new order of doing things.
Though authoritarianism process staged a good platform for development in both Taiwan and South Korea, it slowed development especially where the political will was wanting. It depended mostly on the kind of leadership in place. If the political leader was not development oriented, the country was bound to lag behi...
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...say that it is a process that delays decision making process, what they forget to know is that a solid decision which will sphere-head development for all need to be made collectively. Though the decision making process might take long, the wait is worth because what is passed is agreed by all and is long term. This means long term development agendas can be formulated and implemented with lots of ease. This is very evident from the series of good transformations and transfers which Taiwan and South Korea continue to exhibit since introduction of this process. Today these two countries are emerging great economies all courtesy of democratization. Again, now that everybody feels part of this system, citizens in each of these two nations continue to be unified by the diversified elements of this process and thus it proves beyond doubt that it is a development tool.
The Republic of Korea emerged from Japanese colonialism as a Third World Country. Per capita income was under one hundred dollars, the little infrastructure the Japanese built was located in the North, and income inequality was staggeringly high. The future of the Republic of Korea (hereafter simply “Korea”) looked very bleak, even with United States foreign aid. Yet several decades later Korea had become one of the world’s largest, most modern economies run by a democratic government. The “Miracle on the Han,” the term for Korea’s stunning economic growth in such a short period of time, coincided with the lifting of millions of Koreans out of poverty and the
Political parties in the China and the United States are exceptionally different. In a way that each country's political party system has their own way of controlling their government. At the end each country's main objective is to make sure their country would succeed. In China they have a Communist form of government and in the United States, we have a Democratic and Republican parties. Also events that happen in or out of China or the United States affects policy making.
In conclusion there are alternatives to the liberal and social democracies. The development theory is the alternative and has been attempted through the East Asian Model. However despite some early success it did not bring long term economic benefits. As more and more nations are seeing the flaws of liberal and social democracies new idea and principles will be forged in order to bring equality and harmony to the nation. The development theory is what it is a theory that needs real practical policies that can bring benefits for everybody. Maybe future generations can solve the current problems of economic and political instabilities that are seen throughout the world today.
Capitalism and democracy are the aim of almost the whole world with only several exceptions like Cuba, Iraq, North Korea and Myanmar. It is reasonable why states aspire to achieve both capitalism and democracy. Capitalist concepts have resulted in more increase of social welfare than any other economic system. Likewise, democracy has enabled billions of people to enjoy that welfare by giving them more freedom (Audretsch, 2000).
There have been enormous efforts to spread democracy as a political system throughout the world by the developed democratic countries and the international development organizations including the World Bank. By the late 1990s the United States alone spent over a half billion dollars to promote democratic expansion throughout the world (Diamond, 2003). These were done considering that the democratic system leads towards development. As a result in the late 20th century we saw a huge political transformation towards democracy. During the last few decades a huge number of countries adopted democracy as their political system. However, it retain a big question how far democracy is successful in bringing development of a country? At this stage, some people also criticizes the effort of democratization arguing that it is done without considering the context of a country, sometimes democracy is not ideal for all countries and it is an effort to extinct diversity of political system. In studying the literature regarding the debate, we found a paradoxical relationship between democracy and development. Some argue that democracy has failed to ensure expected outcomes in terms of development. While others confronted that democracy has a considerable impact on development. Another group of people argue that form of political system actually does not have any impact on development process. On the verge of these debates, some development institutions and academics throw light on why democracy is not working properly, and what measure should be taken to make it more successful in bringing effective development of developing countries. Consequently, this writing is an effort of revisiting the different views about impact of democra...
By looking at the current situation, I argue that the life cycle of Western democracy in Thailand can only go as far as to the first stage, or in other word is failed, due to constant rejections by Thailand’s government that are based from the huge differences with Thailand’s own norms. My argument is also based on Finnemore and Sikkink’s statement that completion of the “life cycle” is not an inevitable process since many emergent norms fail to reach a tipping point.” I would like to prove my argument, which will be further analyzed and proven in the next chapter by using this norm life cycle concept from Finnemore and Sikkink’s journal, International Norm Dynamics and Political
Even some of the most authoritarian regimes around today allude to the fact that democracy is desirable. In the 2012 EIU's Index of Democracy, North Korea is ranked 167th in terms of level of democracy (the lowest ranked country on the index). Yet they mention democracy in their countries official name, “Democratic People's Republic of Korea”. Those outside of North Korea might look at this as some sort of sick joke, but it highlights peoples desire for fair and democratic process across the world. North Korea is an extreme case for lack of democracy, as well as an extreme case of government mandated censorship, but censorship is not limited to the low end of the democratic spectrum. It comes many shapes and forms and exists in some level in the majority of nations across the globe. This paper will outline and analyze ...
The topic of democracy in China is a highly controversial topic. Although China has not democratised, it has done well in the global situation amongst its democratic competitors. Since the path to democracy is different for each country, we cannot expect that China would follow the same path or same model of democracy as the western nations. This essay will look at what democracy is and how it can be placed in a Chinese context as well as looking at the proponents and opponents of democracy in China. It will also look at whether China is democratising by focusing on village elections, globalisation and the emergence of a civil society. These specific topics were chosen because they will help provide good evidence and arguments to the topic of democratisation in China. The main argument in this essay will be that although China is implementing some changes that can be seen as the beginning of a road to democracy, there contribution should not be over estimated. China still has a long way to go before it can be considered that it is democratising. The small changes are good but China still has a long road ahead of itself to achieve democracy.
Firstly, K. Isbester mentions that democracy has a different meaning for everyone, as some can define democracy as a good aspect for development, on the contrary other believe that it is nothing more than voting after several years. Although, Latin America see democratic g...
In his book International Politics on the World Stage John T. Rourke (2008) states that governments range from the strict authoritarian at one end of the spectrum to a completely unfettered democracy at the other end (p. 78). His definition of an authoritarian style government is a “political system that allows little or no participation in decision making by individuals and groups outside the upper reaches of the government” (p. G-1). Those of us who live in a country that has a democratic government may find it difficult to understand why people who live in countries with authoritarian governments do not revolt and change their system of government, but in fact a truly democratic system of government is a relatively new concept in the age of man.
The question posed is best explored through the lens of Modernization Theory, which partly originated with Lipset's 1959 formulation that the prospects for democracy to thrive within a country are directly correlated to its level of economic development. Przeworski has elucidated Lipset's theories as hypothesizing that economic affluence dovetails with democracy because wealth reduces the intensity of group or individual conflicts over the distribution of resources. Democracy – which through representative rule is perceived as the most egalitarian form of government – is widely taken to be the fundamental criterion of what makes a country or nation-state 'modern'. Lipset proposes that economic development sets off a series of profound social changes, such as increased urbanization, education and communication, that in turn precipitate larger middle classes and greater social equality. All of these elements combined, Lipset contends in his 1963 award-winning book, Political Man, provide the necessary framework for the emergence of democratic institutions. Today China maintains all such socio-economic elements. Thus, we are presented with a conundrum of sorts. Either we must construe that Modernization theory is dead, or according to its principles, that China’s democratization is latent, and will materialize at a later date.
From covering Japan’s perilous imperial rule to analyzing Korea’s ambivalent adoption of democratic governance, Modern East Asia explored a broad range of subjects important for one who aspires to understand Asia holistically. Much time was even spent examining China’s horrid history at the hands of foreign meddling, giving insight into a nation feared as the future #1 economic power of the world. Although we covered a broad range of topics, each was given particular attention, never skipping major events or characters which shaped Asia’s history over the last several hundred years. Essentially, this class provided an open atmosphere for students to learn the intricate history of major Asian countries in addition to sharing ideas on the effectiveness of their pre-modern governance.
Democracy is robust, widely accepted and highly anticipated around the world. It is the triumphant form of government; dominantly used in Europe, North and South and America and becoming reformed and taking new roots in Africa and Asia. Although the term democracy is based on its Greek origin, demos kratos, meaning people rule, the term cannot be simply understood as such. Due to vast coverage, the adaptation of democracy has varied greatly, whether regionally, nationally, by state or through different branches of government. Perhaps this can be advantageous when the different categorizations listed above can use democracy to rule and suit themselves best, but other factors, such as globalization and neoliberalism, has caused the need for
Due to the harsh differences between the peoples of Korea, and especially due to the onset of Communism, the Korean War erupted and the nation split in half, with the Communist-supported Democratic People’s Republic in the north and those who favored democracy in the Korean Republic of the south (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000). The two separate countries of North Korea and South Korea have gone their opposite ways, and each has experienced different fortunes in the past half-century. The South Koreans managed to recover from the turmoil of the 1950s and 1960s to become an economic power and a democracy supporter. On the other hand, North Korea can be viewed as a retro country, based first on a Communist ideology, laid down by leader Kim Il Sung and inherited by his son, the current dictator Kim Jong Il, then evolving into a totalitarian state (Pacific Rim: East Asia at the Dawn of a New Century). Today, North Korea holds the distinction of being one of the very few remaining countries to be truly cut off from the rest of the world.
The current challenges of democracy around the world should prioritize each encounter that should be addressed through networks, global gatherings, and various activities. As a continuous concern, the progress of democracy discusses various strategies and activities. These various strategies and activities lead to lessons that are learned in advancing democracy, making democracy deliver, strengthening democratic fundamentals, and more current challenges. Democracy faces threats from every spectrum as the threats surge the need to reinforce democratic forces through aid and greater international solidarity. Each country reflects on a certain assessment towards the current status of democracy.