Since the 1973 publication of Alain Peyrefitte’s prophetic When China Awakens, developments in East Asia have outstripped even the wildest predictions. China has undergone the fastest industrialization and urbanization process in history, yet tensions there are rising as some realize how far they have been left behind. This volume explores the applicability of European economic and social models to our analysis of East Asia’s and, in particular, China’s situation. Though millions of Chinese and other Asian people have been lifted out of poverty, inequality is rising nonetheless, and contemporary Europe and Asia are both witnessing collective action against rampant economic neoliberalism in the former and the exclusion of minorities in the latter. It is difficult to overstate the relevance of this assessment, which seeks answers to some central questions: Can events in Europe serve as a model for those in East Asia? Are there similarities or differences between the two regions? To what extent do political, economic or social systems stimulate or inhibit collective action? How culturally equivalent are the collective actions of marginalized/ disadvantaged people in the two locations, or are events in Europe symptomatic of specific cultural attributes? Comparing and contrasting the research tools and dominant paradigms in the social and economic sciences in East Asia and Europe, as this volume does, throws out some revealing results.

This book looks at the main factors which have contributed to the strikingly strong growth of Asian economies in the last twenty-five years. It considers the economic policies adopted to promote such growth, arguing that it will become increasingly difficult to sustain this. The author then examines the inequalities generated by economic growth, before considering the dynamics of the four different types of political system which have evolved in Asia: veiled authoritarianism; market Stalinism; emerging bourgeois democracy and elite democracy.

This study of the national parliaments of India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand is inspired by four major theoretical discourses: neo-institutionalism, parliamentarianism versus presidentialism, majoritarian versus consensus democracy, and transition theory. The book examines the specific role of parliaments in political decision-making, regime change, democratization, and consolidation of democracy in a comparative perspective. It argues that parliaments play a greater part in the political decision-making than is often asserted and that there is no cogent causal relationship between parliamentary performance and system of government.

Drawing on data from the largest cross-national survey on political culture for the last half a century, this is an original and comprehensive study of the attitudes to political and social life among the citizens of eighteen countries in Europe and Asia.

Does market liberalization promote democracy? The accepted answer from scholars, pundits, and politicians alike has been yes. However, the contributors to this innovative study of market reforms and political change in Mexico and the People's Republic of China argue that this easy equation is not only empirically uncertain but methodologically flawed. Using comparative contextual analysis, the contributors carefully identify the elective affinities between these two very different polities to reveal key variables that determine how markets will affect democracy, particularly law as the 'rudder of democracy' and the role of political culture in civil society.

A systematic investigation of the connection between civil society and political change in Asia - change toward open, participatory, and accountable politics. Its findings suggest that the link between a vibrant civil society and democracy is indeterminate: certain civil society organizations support democracy; thers could undermine it.

A powerful new survey of political change in Southeast Asia, exploring why some countries have become democratic while others remain authoritarian.

Political Change in South-East Asia takes up the debate between those who resist the pressure for democracy and point to unchanging 'Asian' values, and those who believe that the appeal of democracy is universal. The author examines the case for both sides and concludes that the strong state will be a fixture of South-East Asian politics for some considerable time to come. Increasingly close links between the ten states of South-East Asia are likely to reinforce perceptions of a common culture and in the end put up more effective defences against external cultural influence.

Publisher Description

The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) is an inter-governmental, not-for-profit organisation that promotes understanding and interactions between Asia and Europe. In 2022-2023, ASEF is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. The past 25 years have been an extraordinary opportunity to bring Asia and Europe closer. The next 25 years could be more challenging; in a fragmenting world, it could also mean a bigger role for ASEF given its bridging capabilities and its reputation as an honest broker. As the only permanent institution of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the future of ASEF is inextricably linked to ASEM. How would Asia-Europe Cooperation look like 25 years from now? What are the driving forces? What do Asians and Europeans stand to gain or lose? What is at stake? What is your vision for ASEM’s destination? Voices from Asians and Europeans on The Future of Asia-Europe Cooperation: An Essay Competition Commemorating ASEF’s 25th Anniversary collects 68 essays from Asians and Europeans that elaborate on this topic, seeking to answer these questions and present the hopes for the future of Asia-Europe cooperation.