Challenging the East Asian Development Model: Evidence from South Korea

Local government performance and democratic consolidation: Explaining ordinance proposal in Busan Metropolitan Council

“…Consider, for instance, Indonesia, which abolished direct elections for regional leaders in 2014 (subsequently reinstated by presidential decree in 2015) and in a highly politicised case saw popular former Jakarta Governor Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison (Cha & Yap, 2019). Consider, too, the Philippines: despite democratisation at the national level, the 30‐year anniversary of People Power that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos from office in 1986 was marked by the political resurgence of the Marcoses in 2016: wife Imelda was provincial congress representative in Ilocos Norte; daughter Imee was governor of the same province and has since been elected a senator; and son Ferdinand Jr. made a competitive run for the vice presidency in the 2016 elections (Cha & Yap, 2019). Clearly, attention should be paid not only to democratic developments of ‘national’ governments, but also to those of subnational governments, with no conceptual reason to confine the study of democracy to national‐level institutions and practices.…”

Local politics for democratic quality and depth: Lessons from South Korea

“…Empirically, events in East and Southeast Asia suggest such SURs. Thus, in 2016 in the Philippines, the 30‐year anniversary of the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos from office in 1986 by the People Power revolution was marked by the political resurgence of the Marcoses: wife Imelda was a provincial congress representative in Ilocos Norte, daughter Imee was governor of the same province at that time, and son Ferdinand Jr. made a competitive run for the vice presidency in the 2016 elections (Cha & Yap, 2020). Clearly, such subnational political developments affect democratic variability and consolidation, despite the success of democracy at the national level.…”

“…Fourth, related to the consideration of democratic quality, the narrative of exceptionalism through ‘Asian values’ has re‐emerged with the resurgence of the East Asian development model—where strong, unconstrained governments are credited with directing their economies to success by motivating or compelling their citizens' cooperation—across less‐developed countries in Asia and Africa (Cha & Yap, 2020). While ‘Asian values’ may be particular to East and Southeast Asia, this narrative of exceptionalism is used to justify democratic slow‐down in developing or less‐developed countries where economic growth is prioritised.…”

“…While ‘Asian values’ may be particular to East and Southeast Asia, this narrative of exceptionalism is used to justify democratic slow‐down in developing or less‐developed countries where economic growth is prioritised. Yet, as Cha and Yap (2020) point out, systematic evidence to support exceptionalism, even in East and Southeast Asia, is absent. Examination of democratic quality and depth across local and national politics, then, is highly relevant now, as narratives of the ‘Asian values’ and the East Asian development model are adopted to stymie developments towards accountability and democracy.…”