This definitive study of electoral politics and democratic decentralization in provincial Thailand investigates how democracy is unfolding in the context of emergent capitalism, exploring the relationships between the politics of the locality, the province and the nation from 1950.

Offering new insights into the political economy of contemporary India, this book considers how and why unequal patterns of economic growth have taken shape within the context of a democratic and decentralising political system, and how this has impacted upon the processes of economic development.

Published in 1998. The question of whether democracy and development are allies or adversaries has long been debated and with the triumph of the democratic spirit worldwide the relationship between democracy and development has once again come to attract much attention globally. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the developments in Eastern Europe led to considerable rethinking in political circles on the efficacy of the economic policies pursued in those countries and the long-term viability of political systems prevalent there. Elsewhere, several newly industrialized countries are striving to consolidate their gains, though there are differing perceptions of whether their politics conform to the classical framework of democracy or not. In a remarkable turn-around, some other countries have initiated measures for economic reforms and structural adjustment, setting aside their earlier approaches towards economic management. In short, the last decades of this millennium have witnessed meaningful efforts worldwide on forging a new partnership between democracy and development. In February 1996, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association jointly organized a conference entitled 'Parliamentary Democracy and Development': Allies or Adversaries?’ with the Wilton Park, an international agency of the British Commonwealth and Foreign Office in Wilton House, West Sussex, United Kingdom. The week-long conference brought together parliamentarians, diplomats, administrators, political scientists, economists and specialists from all over the world. The participants shared their views and experiences on diverse aspects of the main theme. This publication presents an essentially parliamentary perspective on the correlation between democracy and development based on the discussions at the Wilton Park conference and in the light of current thinking on the subject matter.

In this volume, contributors from academia, industry, and policy explore the inter-connections among economic development, socio-political democracy and defense and security in the context of a profound transformation, spurred by globalization and supported by the rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT). This powerful combination of forces is changing the way we live and redefining the way companies conduct business and national governments pursue strategies of innovation, economic growth and diplomacy. Integrating theoretical frameworks, empirical research and case studies, the editors and contributors have organized the chapters into three major sections, focusing on cyber-development, cyber-democracy and cyber-defense. The authors define cyber-development as a set of tools, methodologies and practices that leverage ICT to catalyze and accelerate social, political and economic development, with an emphasis on making the transition to knowledge-based economies. One underlying understanding here is that knowledge, knowledge creation, knowledge production and knowledge application (innovation) behave as crucial drivers for enhancing democracy, society, and the economy. By promoting dissemination and sharing of knowledge, cyber-democracy allows a knowledge conversion of the local into the global (gloCal) and vice versa, resulting in a gloCal platform for communication and knowledge interaction and knowledge enhancement. Meanwhile, technology-enabled interconnectivity increases the need to adopt new methods and actions for protection against existing threats and possible challenges to emerge in the future. The final section contemplates themes of cyber-defense and security, as well as emerging theories and values, legal aspects and trans-continental links (NATO, international organizations and bilateral relations between states). Collectively, the authors present a unique collection of insights and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities inspired by connectivity.

Using an elite consensus/conflict analytical frame, this book examines why some majority Muslim countries perform so much better at democracy and/or development than others, questioning received wisdoms that Islam, authoritarianism, and underdevelopment go together. Identifying four distinct democracy and development outcomes in the Muslim world, four case studies are interrogated to show that there is more variability in democracy and development outcomes in Muslim majority countries than macro-historical studies and aggregate data have shown. By demonstrating that democracy and development outcomes in Muslim countries are the consequence of elite conflict and elite consensus, rather than the precepts or institutions of Islam, the book places the competition for power among contending elites, rather than Islam, at the center of the story of democracy and development in the Muslim world. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of political development/development studies, democratization and autocratization studies, democracy promotion, and more broadly comparative politics.

In recent decades, the conduct of international relations among and within states has been very considerably altered. Today, the content of these relations relies as much on international professional and civil society networks as it does on state-to-state transactions. The role of the Internet has been fundamental in widening communications opportunities for citizens and civil society, with a profound effect on democracy transition. In consequence, diplomacy has taken on a much more human and public face. Twenty-first century ambassadors and diplomats are learning to engage with civil societies, especially on the large themes of democratic change — an engagement that is often resisted by authoritarian regimes. A Diplomat’s Handbook for Democracy Development Support presents a wide variety of specific experiences of diplomats on the ground, identifying creative, human and material resources. More broadly, it is about the policy-making experience in capitals, as democratic states try to align national interests and democratic values. The Handbook also documents the increasingly prominent role of civil society as the essential building block for successful democratic transitions, with each case study examining specific national experiences in the aspiration for democratic and pluralistic governance, and lessons learned on all sides — for better or for worse. While each situation is different — presenting unique, unstructured problems and opportunities — a review of these experiences bears out the validity of the authors’ belief in the interdependence of democratic engagements, and provides practitioners with encouragement, counsel and a greater capacity to support democracy everywhere.

This book focuses on the future of China and its sustainable development, and summarizes the implications, forms, causes, countermeasures and related rules of the main costs generated during a country’s period of development, so as to provide a theoretical reference and decision-making consulting tools for institutions and scientific governance and management professionals. Combining China’s national situation and development characteristics with the country as a unit, it uses case studies to propose the concept of cost theory and the theoretical system of national development cost. Focusing on the goals of innovation in nation building, common development and prosperity, as well as enhancement of people’s net welfare, the book summarizes and draws conclusions about various aspects of national development, including economic development cost; political, social and cultural development cost; foreign opening-up development cost and nature development cost. It primarily establishes an indicator system of national development cost for promoting full-factor productivity and reducing development cost, and provides a theoretical basis for implementing the scientific political-achievement view.

"Presents evidence that under certain widespread structural conditions, democratic accountability falls prey to the same N-person prisoner's dilemma that plagues any other decentralized attempt to procure collective goods. Examines four prominent democracies: postwar and contemporary Brazil and pre-Chavez and contemporary Venezuela"--Provided by publisher.

The book expounds on the role played by democracy in China's revolution and modernization led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), and how the CPC, in both its party building and state building, has constantly sought to leverage democracy's positive functions while avoiding its shortcomings.Special attention is paid to reconstructing and explaining the historical contexts from which the Party's theoretical innovations have emerged, thus offering readers insights into the inner political logic that has shaped China's development.The author, a member of the Party's senior policy panel, offers a perceptive analysis of the modernization of the country and its governing capacity, and provides a clear assessment of how democracy in China has developed with the times.Always bearing the big picture in mind, the author has not shied away from some of the more controversial parts of China's recent history, and his deep understanding of relevant Party documents and historical facts give strong support to his analyses. He concludes that that the Party is central to leading the nation to explore its path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and that the country has always emerged stronger after setbacks.