Liberalism, Democracy and Development

This book presents a challenge to connections many commentators make between liberal democracy and economic development.

Sylvia Chan (Author)

9780521808835, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 October 2002

284 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.59 kg

'This is a provocative book … should be read not only by development experts of the Washington consensus persuasion who advocate common prescriptions for the problems of all developing countries but also in donor countries and agencies wishing to impose Western concepts of democracy in their aid conditionality.' Development Policy Review

Many commentators have assumed a close connection between liberal democracy and economic development. In this book, Sylvia Chan questions this assumption and suggests a new theoretical framework, in which liberal democracy is 'decomposed' into economic, civil and political dimensions that can be combined in different ways, allowing for a range of 'institutional matrices'. She then shows, in a case study of Japan and the Asian newly industrialising countries, how these seemingly less democratic countries have enjoyed a unique mix of economic, civil and political liberties which have encouraged economic development, without the need to share the institutional structures and cultural values of the West. Chan's model therefore provides a re-evaluation of the institutional capacities needed to sustain a competitive economy in a globalising world, and develops a more sophisticated understanding of the democracy-development connection.

1. Introduction: the question
Part I. The Present Context of Democratisation and Decomposing 'Liberal Democracy': 2. Decomposing 'liberal democracy'
3. Democratisation: between the 'liberal' and the 'democratic'
Part II. The Democracy-Development Debate: Old Problem, New Thinking: 4. Constructing an empirical explanation
5. The democracy-development debate reconsidered
6. Reconstructing an explanation of the Asian success
7. Conclusion, and a note on the Asian crisis.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP], Political science & theory [JPA], Development studies [GTF], Regional studies [GTB]