How East Asians View Democracy (review)

[ 176 ] asia policy How East Asians View Democracy Yun-han Chu, Larry Diamond, Andrew J. Nathan, and Doh Chull Shin, eds. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008 • 328 pp. The Asian Barometer Survey conducted national random-sample surveys in 2002 in five new democracies (Mongolia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand), one old one (Japan), one quasi-democracy (Hong Kong), and one authoritarian system (China) to understand how East Asians view democracy. main argument Among these eight political systems, public satisfaction with the regime was found to be highest in authoritarian China, lowest in democratic Japan and Taiwan, and fragile in the other new democracies (South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, and Mongolia). Commitment to democracy as an ideal is widespread but often leads citizens to be more critical and less, not more, supportive of their own democratic regime. Support of democracy is affected by changing perceptions of regime performance, levels of regime corruption, and the trustworthiness of political institutions. policy implications • It is not useful to promote democracy as a label because authoritarian regimes are adept at seizing this word for themselves. More important is to promote basic values that contribute to democracy, such as political equality, rule of law, accountability, and free and fair political competition. • The framework institutions of “minimal democracy,” such as political parties and elections, are not sufficient to secure the democracy-promotion goals. These institutions are too easily manipulated by authoritarian rulers and too thin to provide satisfactory quality of governance. • Democracy promotion as grand strategy has focused too much on promoting transitions and not enough on rooting new regimes in the hearts of the people—a process that political scientists label “consolidation.” • Consolidating democracy in East Asia will require steps to make democratic systems more effective, transparent, and responsible—for example by strengthening legislative oversight, judicial independence, economic regulation, and deterrence of corruption. • Economic development appears to give rise to support for more liberal values, including tolerance and rule of law. Thus, supporting sustained and broadly distributed economic development is one way to encourage long‑term democratic development. ...