2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Democratization and Stability of Politics in East and Southeast Asian Countries
| Project/Area Number |
15310168
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Area studies
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
TAMADA Yoshifumi Kyoto University, Graduate School of Asian and African Areas Studies, Associate Professor, 大学院・アジア・アフリカ地域研究研究科, 助教授 (90197567)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KATAYAMA Yutaka Kobe University, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Professor, 大学院・国際協力研究科, 教授 (10144403)
KAWAHARA Yuma Okayama University, Faculty of Law, Professor, 法学部, 教授 (50234109)
KIMURA Kan Kobe University, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Professor, 大学院・国際協力研究科, 教授 (50253290)
KINOUCHI Hidehiko Suzuka International University, Faculty of International Relations, Professor, 国際学部, 教授 (00204941)
SODA Naoki Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Lecturer, 外国語学部, 講師 (30345318)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2004
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| Keywords | democratization / political stability / area studies / Asia |
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| Research Abstract |
It is agreed widely that both democratization and stability of politics are desirable. However, their coexistence is not easy. Our aim is to clarify the conditions enabling political democracy and stability to coexist in countries in East and Southeast Asian regions.
There are several countries in the regions that have succeeded in democratization in the last two decades. Six countries from the regions (South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand) were studied. National elections were held from 2003 to 2005 in these six countries. We can regard rising political tension due to the elections as a good evidence of democratization. To draw a regional comparison, we take Estonia which is a rare case of successful democratization among the countries formerly dominated by the USSR.
Estonia is a good example to show how important institutional design is for the coexistence of democracy and stability. Leaders of the republic deprived Russian residents of citizenship when they began to democratize the socialist regime. Although it evoked a great deal of criticism from the international society at first, the Russians were accorded citizenship later and the country succeeded in democratization due to the discriminative measures.
In Asian countries, it is often difficult to hold the balance between democracy and stability. In Thailand, an emphasis was placed on stability in drafting the 1997 constitution, resulting in emergence of a too strong national leader. The procedure to dismiss national leaders was a hot issue in the Philippines, South Korea, and Indonesia. Moreover, deficiencies in democratic procedures often hamper legitimatization and stabilization of news democracies.
However, we are observing a new type of national leaders in Asian countries. They rely on populist measures instead of institutions and enjoy strong leadership. We are to carry out a research into them.
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