Confucianism and Democratization in East Asia

For decades, scholars and politicians have vigorously debated whether Confucianism is compatible with democracy, yet little is known about how it affects the process of democratization in East Asia. In this book, Doh Chull Shin examines the prevalence of core Confucian legacies and their impacts on civic and political orientations in six Confucian countries: China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Analyses of the Asian Barometer and World Values surveys reveal that popular attachment to Confucian legacies has mixed results on democratic demand. While Confucian political legacies encourage demand for a non-liberal democratic government that prioritizes the economic welfare of the community over the freedom of individual citizens, its social legacies promote interpersonal trust and tolerance, which are critical components of democratic civic life. Thus, the author argues that citizens of historically Confucian Asia have an opportunity to combine the best of Confucian ideals and democratic principles in a novel, particularly East Asian brand of democracy.

Author: Doh Chull Shin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 12/30/2011
Pages: 378
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781107631786

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2012

About the Author
Shin, Doh Chull: - Doh Chull Shin is Jack W. Peltason Scholar in Residence at the Center for the Study of Democracy at the University of California, Irvine. He is the founder of the Korea Democracy Barometer and a co-founder of the Asian Barometer. His recent books include The Quality of Life in Confucian Asia (2010), How East Asians View Democracy (2008), Citizens, Democracy, and Markets around the Pacific Rim (2006) and Mass Politics and Culture in Democratizing Korea (Cambridge, 2000).Shin, Doh Chull: - Doh Chull Shin is Jack W. Peltason Scholar in Residence at the Center for the Study of Democracy at the University of California, Irvine. He is the founder of the Korea Democracy Barometer and a co-founder of the Asian Barometer. His recent books include The Quality of Life in Confucian Asia (2010), How East Asians View Democracy (2008), Citizens, Democracy, and Markets around the Pacific Rim (2006) and Mass Politics and Culture in Democratizing Korea (Cambridge, 2000).