Introduction: Democracy and Governance

Abstract

During the past decades since the end of the Second World War many countries in Asia have adopted some form of democracy. In some the struggle for democratization has led to consolidation and freely functioning democracies. In others the path has been marked by reversals and set-backs and frequent changes in style and content. In yet others, democratization, as understood in the West, has yet to occur or has been stifled and suppressed. What is particularly disturbing, however, is that some of the Asian countries that had instituted democracy at an early stage, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, apparently failed miserably economically, while many of the other Asian countries, such as China and Singapore, that until quite recently have not introduced ‘Western style’ democracy apparently have been doing very well and have enjoyed a strong economy and growing international stature. How can this paradox be explained? By focusing on the key concept of governance, this volume, through both the conceptual chapters and the individual country case study chapters, aims to throw light on the dynamics of political development and the realities of policy capabilities across Asia. Democracy is a term which is subject to varying definitions and interpretations. Clearly the ideal model of direct democracy espoused by fifth-century BC Athens is not feasible in the modern world, but modern forms of democracy – all broadly covered by the term ‘representative democracy’ – cover a wide range of formats and institutional patterns. At the most basic level, and under a common interpretation, democracy means government by the people, but democracy also means government for the people. If a government is truly responsive to people’s needs and serves them well, it is hard to describe it as undemocratic. In this sense ‘benevolent dictatorship’ is a contradiction in terms. It is unthinkable for a dictator – implying personal power and unresponsiveness to people’s needs – to be able to serve people well. On the other hand, it is generally understood that modern democracy does not mean policy-making by the people. According to one theorist, Seymour Lipset, democracy today means ‘a political system which supplies regular constitutional opportunities for changing the governing officials, and a