СOMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE POLITICAL MODERNIZATION OF GEORGIA AND SINGAPORE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the research of comparative analysis of the political modernization of Georgia and Singapore. The relevance of this subject is due to experience of successful development in the political and economic spheres of Georgia and Singapore, which was facilitated by the dynamic formation of political institutions. Political modernization in these states took place in an accelerated and “compressed” format.It is specified, that these countries are passing through rapid economic growth. Singapore, in particular, was part of the “first wave of Asian tigers” (along with Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea). Georgia, in turn, continues to demonstrate annual GDP growth, despite domestic political and regional instability.It is stated that Singapore is a prime example of economic transformation under authoritarianism. Singapore’s economic success was influenced by many factors, both political (effective governance, professionalism and competence of political leaders, political stability), geographical (a small island state located at the crossroads of sea routes), and cultural (Asian values). The achievements in the socio-economic sphere as a result of political changes were so amazing that they even interested the main reformer of the PRC, Deng Xiaoping. Many Chinese officials and intellectuals see Singapore as a possible benchmark for China.As for Georgia, in applying authoritarian forms of transformation, the leaders of the young post-communist Georgian democracy largely imitated the modernization that took place in Southeast Asia, including Singapore. The authors come to the conclusion that era of Mikheil Saakashvili clearly demonstrates the powerful modernization leap of the Caucasian republic, which was not afraid of temporary authoritarian measures to accelerate political evolution.The Georgian experience of reforms became so successful that the fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko (2014-2019) invited a Georgian landing of reformers to Ukraine to transform individual ministries – the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Health.