Liberalism, Democracy and Development

Many commentators have assumed a close connection between liberal democracy and economic development. 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.

• Study of whether developing countries need to adopt democracy on the Western model to achieve economic success • Author argues that economic and social freedoms are necessary, but not western-style institutions or culture • Contains analysis of the successful Asian economies

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.

\'The author\'s interpretation of the Asian experience is quite convincing and will no doubt help to move the debate to a more advanced level.\' International Affairs

‘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