Democracy and Development in East Asia

The startling turn toward democracy in East Asia in the late 1980s raises the question, What is the relationship between political modernization and economic development? Chapters by 16 authors analyze the economy, the politics, the socio-cultural changes and the international environment in three countries - Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines - and predict the course of democracy and economic development during the 1990s. The authors conclude that political culture and historical tradition are important in determining when democratization appears and whether it succeeds; that the United States and other Western democracies provide a framework for economic development and democratic institution; that democracy and development have a complex relationship; and that in all three cases democracy is fragile and dependent on influences over which neither the leadership nor the populace has much control.