Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines how a regime’s endogeneity (its internal origins independent of significant external support) and international pressures shape democratization trajectories in East Asian Confucian societies. Challenging simplistic cultural determinism, the article argues that while classical Confucianism is not inherently anti-democratic, “ruler-made legacies” from the imperial era can hinder or facilitate democratic change depending on the ruling elites’ strategic choices. Comparative analysis of Singapore and South Korea illustrates this: Singapore’s highly endogenous regime effectively resists external democratic pressures and controls modernization to bolster non-democratic rule. Conversely, South Korea’s exogenous regime, lacking deep internal legitimacy and facing sustained international pressure, was compelled towards democratization. Modernization’s democratizing potential, therefore, depends on the regime type and geopolitical environment.
Source: Journal of Asian Governance
DOI: 10.63851/001c.144278
Author: Hsin-Che Wu
Institution: National Taiwan University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7083679877
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: