Chapter 2

The East Asian Growth Regime
and Political Development*
Kenichi Ohno

Many low-income developing countries are caught in a trap. The private sector
is small and weak, and lacks skills, technology, funds, trust, and management
capability. Local producers can hardly compete with global giants in open
markets. Under these circumstances, the government is expected to lift thecountry out of poverty, but the government itself also faces a multitude ofproblems such as inefficiency, corruption, lack of talent and information,
bureaucratic formalism, and political pressure. Bad policy, stagnant economy,
and social instability exacerbate one another. Countries must break away fromthis vicious circle before they can initiate an economic take-off. The questionis how to do this, and East Asian experiences in the last several decades may
provide some clues for latecomer countries which are not yet on a path ofrobust growth.
East Asia’s success pattern was very different from the current popular thinking in the ODA donor community. Countries in East Asia did not start the“breaking away” process by drafting a poverty reduction strategy paper or
minding governance, transparency and grass-roots participation. As a matterof highest priority, they had to cope with the life-or-death problem posed byauthor has benefited greatly from Japan-UK dialogue on ODA policy organized by the* The
GRIPS Development Forum in Tokyo and London (2006-2007); comments at the IEA Roundtable Conference on the Political Economy of Sustainable Growth in Beijing, China (2007);
comments at three workshops in Lusaka, Zambia (2007); and class discussion in the GRIPS
master’s program (2006-2007). Previous versions of this chapter were presented to a number ofdevelopment organizations including the World Bank, OECD, UNCTAD, Asian Development
Bank, World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002) and at workshops inTokyo, Beijing, Hanoi, London, Lusaka, and Yangon. I would like to thank Ms. Chizuru Tobita for updating figures and tables in this chapter.

37

CHAPTER 2

external military threat or internal social fragmentation. To maintain national
unity and military readiness, economic growth was considered imperative. A
political regime that could handle this situation, which we call authoritariandevelopmentalism, was established in a number of countries. This regime pursued economic growth at any cost and thus broke the poverty trap. New problems generated by fast growth, such as income and wealth gaps, urbanization,internal migration, environmental damage, and congestion were also recognized and dealt with.
However, it must also be admitted that such regimes and policies, which may
have suited the reality of the Cold War era, are a little too harsh and insensitive for developing countries today. Historical lessons must be learned in fullrecognition of circumstantial differences. This chapter proposes to learn fromthe East Asian experiences selectively and with modifications, instead of
accepting or rejecting them totally and unconditionally.

1. Good but uneven performance
East Asia’s economic development has been quite remarkable, but high performance was not uniform across countries or over time. It is also difficult toargue that East Asia owes its success to good initial political and economic
conditions. It is necessary at the outset to dispel these myths and emphasize
the role of policy in achieving economic success. East Asian growth was generated mainly through competent execution of appropriate policies, as
explained below, rather than spontaneous emergence of some inherent characteristics of the region such as diligence or Confucianism. Countries that did
not implement needed policies or those that implemented them insufficiently
have failed to participate in regional economic dynamism. Figure 2-1 shows awide range of achievements in governance and economic development in East
Asia with a strong positive correlation between the two measures (0.90).1
1. At the risk of stating the obvious, it should be added that correlation does not necessarily imply
causality, either from income to governance or vice versa. More information and analysis areneeded to argue causality.

38The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

Figure 2-1: East Asia: Governance and Income
Goverance, WGI2005
600
Sin

Hkg

S Kor

Twn

500

Jpn

400
Mal
Mong
300

Bru

Thai
Phil

VN

China

200
Camb

E Timor

PNG
Lao
N Kor
Mya

100

0
100

Indo

1000

10000

100000Per capita income ($PPP2004, log scale)
Sources: Compiled from World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators; and World Bank,World Development Indicators (2006). Unofficial income data from various sources areused for countries without World Bank income data.
Note:
Worldwide Governance Indicators consist of six dimensions (voice and accountability,
political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, control ofcorruption) with each carrying 0 to 100 points. The vertical value in this diagram simply
adds these points for each country or area.

While the precise geographical definition of East Asia may be debatable, it issafe to say that only a subset of economies belonging to this region haveachieved or are achieving sustained economic miracles. Japan, Singapore, andHong Kong have already reached high income and life style comparable to therichest countries in the West. Taiwan and South Korea are very near that level.
Malaysia, Thailand, China, and Vietnam, although in different development
stages, are moving up rapidly. These nine economies are full participants inthe East Asian production network. On the other hand, Indonesia and thePhilippines have been integrated in regional dynamism, but their performanceand future prospects are more precarious.2
2. In 2007, Thailand is also facing political and economic difficulties following the ousting of former
Prime Minister Thaksin. However, this situation may be temporary given that Thailand has grown
fairly consistently in the past despite many political crises and a persistent urban-rural income gap.

39

CHAPTER 2

Additionally, a number of economies lie outside the East Asian Factory forvarious reasons. Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and East
Timor are struggling for political stability or economic take-off, or both. At
this point, Myanmar and North Korea are political outcasts for which no
meaningful growth strategy can be discussed. Finally, Brunei is a small oilrich country that does not join the flying geese formation.
The paths travelled by East Asian economies have been far from smooth.
When Gunnar Myrdal wrote Asian Drama in 1968, Southeast Asia was considered to be a region trapped in dire poverty. He argued that the only way to
get out of it was through population control, more equitable land distribution,and investment in health care and education (FDI-led growth was not mentioned). According to historical statistics compiled by Maddison (2001),
shown in Figure 2-2, Africa had a higher average income than Asia in the
1950s. China, now the mighty factory of the world, was mired in political andeconomic confusion in much of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The Cold War turned
hot in the Korean Peninsula and Indochina, and tension continued across the
Taiwan Strait, all of which severely affected the political economy of theentire region. In the late 1950s, South Korea was considered a basket caseunder an incompetent leader with rampant corruption (see Section 5).
More recently, growth was interrupted by various events such as the oil shocks
in the 1970s, the ASEAN recession in the early 1980s, Japan’s lost decade in
the 1990s, and the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98. It is therefore difficult toargue that East Asia grew fast because the region enjoyed peace and stability
or because it had inherited better initial economic conditions than Sub-Saharan Africa. Policy, not external circumstances, made the critical difference.

2. Growth policies and social policies
The development strategy of the global ODA community shifts every several
years. The current strategy focuses on the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) proposed by the United Nations in 2000, which feature poverty reduc40

The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

Figure 2-2: Per Capita GDP(Measured in 1990 international Geary-Khamis dollars)
4000
3500
East Asia

3000
2500
2000

Africa

1500
1000
500
0
1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

1998

Source: Maddison (2001).

tion and attainment of seven other social goals in the period between 1990 and2015. Moreover, governance is also targeted as a main pillar of development
effort. However, it is now widely recognized that meaningful poverty reduction
cannot be achieved only by shifting existing resources around or improving
education and health care. Economic growth is absolutely necessary for sustained poverty reduction and avoidance of permanent aid dependency. But the
global ODA community seems at a loss as to what concrete measures are
required to generate long-term growth, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
These questions were alien to East Asian development thinking, where growth
has always been the central objective for which policies and resources were
mobilized. For East Asian countries, poverty reduction was one of the many
natural fruits of competent economic management rather than an overarchinggoal toward which every development effort must be exerted. In fact, reducing
poverty was a goal too small for them; East Asian states invariably pursued amore ambitious goal of greatly improving technology, competitiveness, andliving standards so as to join the ranks of advanced countries and establish a
respected stature in the world economy.
Despite various differences among countries, there was a general policy orientation followed by all successful economies in East Asia. This policy orienta41

CHAPTER 2

tion had two main components: growth policies and social policies. Growthpolicies include standard measures that ignite and sustain private-sector
dynamism such as provision of indicative visions, plans, and strategies;
human resource development; technology; infrastructure; SME promotion;
FDI attraction; finance; and subsidies.3 Social policies are a set of measuresthat cope with problems associated with rapid growth, such as inequality, pollution, urbanization, congestion, labour migration, asset bubbles, corruption,illegal drugs, materialism, and decline of traditional values and customs.
Growth policies are primary and social policies are secondary, in the sensethat the latter ameliorate new problems generated by the successful executionof the former.
Yasusuke Murakami (1992, 1994) stresses the importance of simultaneous
execution of growth policies and social policies (which he calls “supplementary policies”) in order to avert the negative aspects of developmentalism. As
Murakami (1994) puts it,
When targeted key industries begin to grow rapidly, people in theseand related industries will experience a shift in life style and even in
attitude toward life. … [E]specially in latecomer countries, social
structure, including the national psychology, will be impacted
strongly by the force of “modernization,” sowing the seeds of social
tension. Such tension typically arises from a widening gap in income
and life style between urban and rural populations. Equally notable
is the formation of mega-cities and surrounding slums which areoften seen in Latin America and Asia. Failure to alleviate social tension under these circumstances can lead to political conflict, which
ultimately stymies developmentalism itself. (p.192, English translation)

Once rapid growth begins, social transformation is inevitable. It permeates all
3. Some of the old measures such as tariff protection, import quotas and bans, export subsidies,
local content requirement, and foreign currency balancing requirement, are now prohibited by
WTO. However, many measures that do not violate WTO principles are still available, as listed
in the text, and can be mobilized for industrial policy formulation today.

42

The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

aspects of social life, including psychology, attitude, work, entertainment,
family, urbanization, village community, human mobility, transport, environment, culture, and nationalism. Development cannot be sustained unless both
growth policies and social policies are conducted in proper balance. The
required details of these policies differ from one country to another, and theymust be designed and implemented carefully to suit local needs. In East Asia,
only those countries that managed to do this more or less competently haveachieved economic miracles.
Observing the dismal situation in Latin America in the 1960s and 70s, where
ruthless dictators and incompetent populism alternated, Huntington and Nelson (1976) concluded that chaos would be the inevitable end result no matter
how the country started the development process (Figure 2-3). In their technocratic model, an authoritarian state with suppressive policies initiates growth,which breeds inequality and raises social tension. To cope with this situation,
the regime introduces even more suppressive policies. After a few rounds ofthis, discontent mounts to a critical level, people take to the streets, and society explodes. Alternatively, in their populist model, a democratic state which
permits broad participation is installed initially. The government distributes
available economic benefits among supporters but does not succeed in mobilizing resources decisively to increase GDP. Economic stagnation leads to dissatisfaction and the regime is eventually thrown out by a military coup. The
conclusion follows that there is no easy way to generate economic growth
while maintaining political stability.
Using this framework, what East Asia’s successful economies did can be portrayed as a revised technocratic model where rising inequality and othergrowth-generated problems were ameliorated through social policies (Figure2-4). With this policy package, crisis is averted and the virtuous circle of economic growth and political stability is maintained for a few decades until thesociety changes from within (see Section 4 below). This policy mix was theEast Asian answer to the Latin American puzzle presented by Huntington and
Nelson. The policy pattern is clear, but the question is how adeptly a country
can execute it.
43CHAPTER 2

Figure 2-3: No Easy Choice?
Technocratic Model
Economic
growthSTART
Political
suppression(authoritarianism)

Populist Model
Equalization

Risinginequality

START
Increased
participation(democracy)

Economicstagnation
Political
instability

Political
instability
END

END

Socialexplosion!!!

Political
suppression!!!

Source: Compiled from Huntington and Nelson (1976).

Figure 2-4: East Asia’s Policy Mix
Economic growth
START

New social problems

Growth policies(inequality, crime, pollution...)Political stability
END(checked)Social policies

A few decades later

Exit to a richer and more democratic society(examples: Korea, Taiwan)

3. Growth driven by regional integration
For latecomer countries, economic development and international integration
are one and inseparable. Today’s development process is characterized by acontinuous inflow of foreign products, ideas, technology, and systems into thecountry. They are brought through private channels such as human mobility,
trade, and investment; through policy initiative; or under the pressure ofdonors and international organizations. To enhance domestic capability and
44

The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

generate growth, foreign factors must be adopted selectively and with modifications to suit local needs. Integration policy and development policy must be
integrated closely and managed by the central government rather than left toprivate hands or foreign organizations (Maegawa, 1994; Ohno, 1996, 2000,
2003).
This development-integration nexus took a very special form in East Asia.
East Asian growth was attained through the very existence of the East Asian
region as an arena for economic interaction among its members. One by one,countries in different development stages initiated economic growth by participating in the dynamic production network spanned by private firms. Linked
by trade and investment, an international division of labour with a clear orderand structure has emerged in the region. Industrialization has proceeded
through geographic spreading on the one hand and structural deepening withineach country on the other. The term flying geese refers to these systematic
supply-side developments. To understand this mechanism, evaluating the policies of individual countries is not enough; it is necessary to analyze East Asia
as a whole, with its production structure, intra-regional trade, and investment
flows.
For countries in East Asia, development was—and is—tantamount to jumping
into this regional production network and becoming one crucial dynamic linkin it. Each country is under constant competitive pressure from the countries
moving ahead of it as well as behind it, which compels it to continuously
climb the ladders of development. What drove these countries was the desire
for material well-being and the pursuit of national pride in the context of thisregional competition, not policy matrices introduced by international organizations.
Figure 2-5 shows how the East Asian geese have been flying as measured by
the ratio of manufactured goods to total exports. The top economies including
Japan, Taiwan, and Korea have long exported manufactured goods. The second tier of economies such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and especiallyChina, are catching up very fast. They are followed by a third group of45

CHAPTER 2

Figure 2-5: Manufactured Exports
Manufactured exports / total exports
100%
90%

Japan

80%

TaiwanKorea

70%Singapore60%

Malaysia

50%

Thailand40%

Philippines
Indonesia

30%

China
20%

Vietnam10%

Myanmar
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

0%

Sources: Asian Development Bank, Key Indicators of Developing Asian and Pacific Countries,
1993 & 2006; Statistical Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications,Japan Statistical Yearbook 2007.

economies such as Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam. On the other hand,
Myanmar, as well as the East Asian economies not shown here such as Cambodia, Laos, and North Korea, has not even entered the race.
Industries are constantly passed from the first tier countries to the next anddown the line. Since this industrial passing occurs mainly through FDI, countries wishing to strengthen their positions court FDI vigorously. Japanese corporations have long been the chief architect of the East Asian production network, together with EU and US multinationals. The extensive business networks of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and overseas Chinese as well as bold businessmoves by Korean chaebols have also invigorated this region. Since the 1990s,
the emergence of China as a producer and investor has become the newimportant factor. No other developing region has formed such an organic anddynamic interdependence as East Asia. This fact must be taken into accountwhen the replicability of East Asian experiences in other regions is considered.

46

The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

4. Authoritarian developmentalism
To break away from the poverty trap and initiate growth, most countries in
East Asia installed authoritarian developmentalism, or an authoritarian statewith economic capability.4 The key ingredients of this regime are as follows5:■ Powerful and economically literate leader■ Development as a supreme national goal, ideology, and obsession■ An elite technocrat group to support the leader in designing and executing policies■ Political legitimacy derived from successful development
Among these, the first ingredient (leadership) is crucial because the other conditions can be created by a competent leader if they do not already exist. The
importance of a decisive and enlightened top national leader such as a president or prime minister cannot be over-emphasized. This leader must have akeen sense of what works and what does not in accelerating growth. A Ph.D.
in economics or an MBA is not needed, but an instinct for selecting the rightpolicies and assigning good people is essential. Strong leaders are many, but
strong and wise leaders are few. The term authoritarian developmentalism isreserved only for regimes led by the latter.
Dark bars in Figure 2-6 show East Asia’s authoritarian developmentalism. The
effectiveness of these “dictators” in promoting growth differed substantially.
According to the original classification by Suehiro (2000), on which this diagram is based, the Philippines’ Marcos regime was counted as authoritariandevelopmentalism but we prefer to exclude it from the list due to the fact that
it failed miserably in delivering economic results. Three things are clear from
Figure 2-6. First, not all East Asian economies experienced authoritariandevelopmentalism. Second, all successful economies, with the exception of
4. The only exception among the successful economies was the city economy of Hong Kong,which adopted a basically laissez-faire regime to achieve high income.
5. See Watanabe (1995). The list of ingredients in the text reflects Watanabe’s argument withminor modifications by this author.

47

CHAPTER 2

Figure 2-6: Authoritarian Developmentalism in East Asia
1945

50

55

60

65

70

75

49

China
Rhee Syngman
49

TaiwanNationalist Party
46 48

53

57

61

Roxas Quirino Magsaysay Garcia Macapagal

2000

SukarnoSingapore

55
59
65
Labor People’s
Party Action Party
57

Malaysia

05

02

57 58
Phibun98 99 01 04
Wahid
90

Razak

Hussein

73 75 76 77

Mahathir
88 91 92

80

ThanomPrem
76 Kriangsak

Labor Party

Abdullah01

97

Chuan Chuan
Chatichai06

Chulanont
Thaksin

Vietnamese Communist Party
75

Kingdom of Laos

Yudhoyono

Habibie Megawati 04
Lee Hsien
Goh Chok-tong
Loong
03

Lee Kuan-yew
76
81

70

63
Sarit

51
Indochina
Communist
Party

Laos

Ramos Estrada Arroyo

Suharto

UMNO / Rahman
46 48

ThailandAquino67

Indonesia

98

91
Kayson Phom Vihane

Khamtai

01

06

Sisavath Bounn
hang

49
53
89
93
60
70
76 79
Protecto
Independent Monarchy-Regency Khmer
People’s Republic State of Kingdom of Cambodia
rate
Kingdom
Republicof Kampuchea Cambodia
48 Associated State
62
88
97
Democratic Kampuchea

Myanmar

U Nu
48

North Korea

95
97

MarcosLaurel 49

Cambodia

90

Jiang
Hu
Deng Xiaoping
Zemin Jintao
79 80
87
92
97
03
Chun DooNoe
Kim
Roh MooKim
Park Chung-hee
hwan
Tae-woo YoungDaehyun
Jung
sam
75 78
88
04
Yen Chiang Ching-kuo
Chen ShuiChiang Kai-shek
LeeTeng-hui
Chiabian
kan
86
92
98
01
65

60 61

South Korea

Vietnam85

Mao Zedong48

Philippines

80

76

Burma Socialist Programme Party Ne Win

57
62
YongKim Tu Bong ChaiKun

SLORC

SPSC / Than Shwe94
Kim II Sung

Kim Jong II

Sources: Suehiro (2000), p.115. Updated and revised by author using various sources.
Notes: Dark grey areas show authoritarian developmentalism and light grey areas show preindependence years. For China, the most influential leader among those holding highest positions is indicated. The Philippines’ Marcos is classified as AD by Suehiro but is
not classified as such in this diagram.

Hong Kong, have adopted authoritarian developmentalism in the past. Third,
authoritarian developmentalism typically lasted two to three decades. In thisregard, Singapore is the only country that has not abandoned this system evenafter reaching a very high income level.
East Asia’s authoritarian developmentalism often emerged under severe security threat. South Korea was threatened by North Korea, and Taiwan’s existence was precarious in the presence of Mainland China. Internal politicalchaos and ethnic unrest also increased the likelihood of such a regime emerging. In a number of cases, a military coup was staged to replace an ineffective
government unable to contain a crisis situation. Under this type of regime,
many elements of democracy such as freedom of speech and press, free and48

The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Developmentcompetitive election, and the power of parliament were restricted or suspended. For this reason, these regimes were regularly criticized by the West as“undemocratic.” However, people may support their dictator, not because hecame to power by free election, but because he delivers national security, higher income, and job opportunities to them.
Why do we need an “undemocratic” state to execute development? The fundamental reason is that economic take-off from a low base requires massive andspeedy resource mobilization.6 Adrian Leftwich (2005) points out that democracy and development require different institutional conditions which cannot
be easily reconciled:
The institutional characteristics and requirements for development[accumulation and change] and for democracy [accommodation andcompromise] pull in opposite directions… democracies have great
difficulty in taking rapid and far-reaching steps to reduce structuralinequalities in wealth.

The country must unify different ethnic and social groups into an imaginedcommunity, build power supply and transport systems, attract investment,
improve skills and technology, build schools and hospitals, crack down on
crimes and social evils, relocate residents, manage urbanization and internalmigration, conduct macroeconomic and trade policies, cope with global andregional shocks, and the list can go on considerably further. Allowing politicalparticipation of all concerned groups and thoroughly debating all laws andpolicies in the parliament would be more democratic, but would take too muchtime. If a critical mass of policies is not adopted quickly and simultaneously,
the country cannot initiate or sustain growth. This is precisely the failed populist model discussed in Section 2.

6. Another reason may be that undemocratic means are necessary to stamp out patronage andrent-seeking which prevent economic growth. We do not deny this factor entirely, but do not at
the same time over-emphasize it since even relatively corrupt and inefficient states can make acertain amount of progress in development. For an economic take-off, a discontinuous jump ingovernance or political development does not seem to be necessary (see Figure 2-1).

49

CHAPTER 2

One important thing about authoritarian developmentalism is its transitional
nature. Unlike democracy, it is not a regime all countries should aspire to anddefend in the long run. Rather, it is a short-term regime of convenience whose
value lasts only for a few decades. It is an instrument for achieving fast
growth at a critical moment in the history of a particular country. Once thedesired level of development is attained, it should be thrown away just like thefirst-stage booster must be ejected when the space craft reaches a certain
height. If it is not detached, it will become a serious obstacle for further flight.
The evaluation of this regime must be made in this dynamic context, not bystatic comparison of attained level of democracy.
Another important and related issue is the exit problem. Watanabe (1998)
argues that “if development under an authoritarian regime proceeds successfully, it will sow the seeds of its own dissolution” (p.217, English translation)by providing higher living standards and diversified social strata. New middle
mass, consisting of white-collar workers, professionals, small business owners, and students, begin to disapprove of authoritarianism and demand moredemocracy. However, authoritarian developmentalism may not melt away
automatically if there are barriers to transition such as a stubborn leader,bureaucratic resistance, and interest groups. In particular, a strong leader often
refuses to step down because of the prospect of being revenged, jailed, or evenexecuted after transition, with most or all of the regime’s policies reversed.
Unlike well-functioning democracy, this type of regime does not have a builtin mechanism for smooth power transition. Thus, political stability at the timeof transition largely depends on the wisdom and self-control of the leader. In
East Asia, some exits of authoritarian leaders have been peaceful and others
have been violent.
A similar transition problem also arises under one-party rule, be it the Communist Party (China, Vietnam) or the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan). The
ruling party that remains in power for several decades generates a web of beneficiaries and supporters who resist reforms. The party’s policies, which may
have worked well initially, become outdated and renovation becomes imperative. A fight between reformers and conservatives often emerges within the50

The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

party. External pressure for change also mounts. A smooth transition is possible but not guaranteed.
The fact that a large number of authoritarian developmentalist regimes
emerged in East Asia, but not elsewhere, can be explained by regional contagion. Neighbouring countries are always in competition, consciously or
unconsciously, for policy initiative and high performance. The last thing thatpolicy makers admit is that they monitor and copy the policies of neighbouring countries, but they actually do. They are sensitive to policy shifts in theirneighbourhood, especially those that give a head start to some and make others feel left behind. This is why policy has a powerful contagion effect withina region. The wave of democratization in Latin America in the 1980s andsimultaneous rejection of socialism in Eastern Europe around 1990 are such
examples. The high frequency of authoritarian developmentalism in East Asia
should also be understood in terms of such a policy domino effect.
From the historical perspective, the popularity of authoritarian developmentalism in the 1970s can partly be attributed to the Cold War effect (Iwasaki,2001). At that time, neither the US nor the USSR cared much about the political freedom given to their allies’ citizens as long as they faithfully remained intheir camps. This made it easy for developing countries to adopt undemocratic
measures with impunity. However, to say that the era of authoritarian developmentalism is now over with the fall of the USSR and that any remaining such
regimes are obsolete is perhaps going too far. The fact that decisive resource
mobilization is required for a latecomer’s take-off has not changed.

5. Case studies
Let us look at South Korea, a country that has already graduated from theauthoritarian period, and China and Vietnam, two countries undergoing rapid
industrialization and social transformation.

51

CHAPTER 2South Korea
South Korea has graduated from authoritarian developmentalism and is moving toward further economic and political transformation. Today, South Korea
can competitively produce high-tech products such as cars and consumer electronics. But half a century ago, people did not think that the country had any
future. It was a colony of Japan during 1910-1945. The Korean War (1950-53)
devastated and divided the country. In comparison with North Korea, which
had heavy industries and ample natural resources, the development prospectsof the agriculture-based South seemed bleak. Under the Rhee Syngman government (1948-60), South Korea was regarded as a corrupt basket case. Its
survival depended heavily on American aid.
However, the situation changed dramatically in 1961, when Park Chung Hee, amilitary general, staged a coup and seized power. His regime was a typicalauthoritarian developmental state with a very strong will to promote capitalism under state guidance. The Economic Planning Board was created as an
executing agency and five-year plans were started. The development strategy
focused on export competitiveness, foreign loans, and imported technology.
Export subsidies, import protection, foreign exchange allocation, exchange
unification and devaluation, low-interest rate policy loans, and tax incentives
were carried out. Targeted industries shifted from garment and footwear(1960s) and steel, petrochemicals, and shipbuilding (1970s) to automobilesand electronics (1980s). Korea’s industrialization was carried out under a serious threat from North Korea and suppressed democracy. It was characterized
by the triangular alliance of government, banks, and chaebols (large businessgroups such as Daewoo, Samsung, Hyundai, and LG). By conducting highlyinterventionist policies, South Korea became one of the most successful latecomers. Park Chung Hee was assassinated in 1979, but another military general, Chun Doo Hwan, continued to rule until 1987.
With the hypothesis that democracy can be introduced effectively only after acertain development level is reached (“developmental threshold for democracy”), Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (2004) analyzes the process of Korea’s devel52

The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

Figure 2-7: South Korea: Growth Prepares for Democracy
Economic
growthSocialmobilization
Urbanization
Industrialization
Modernization

Political culture
Compromise as common political culture
Active political participation
Values such as equality, moderation
Democracy
Social structure
Rise of workers and middle class
Old classes losing power
Emergence of civil society

Source: Compiled from Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (2004).

opment and democratization. She contends that economic growth leads to“social mobilization” (social changes such as urbanization, industrialization,and modernization), which breeds two necessary driving forces of democracy,
namely political culture and social structure (Figure 2-7).
Political culture refers to popular attitudes which support democracy, such ascompromise, participation, equality, and moderation. Social structure means aquantitative power shift from the old classes (farmers, military men, land owners) to the new classes (white-collar workers, professionals, entrepreneurs).
Political culture and social structure interact with one another to prepare conditions under which democracy can be installed and sustained. In 1961, 80%
of South Koreans were poor farmers. By 1985, workers (over 50%) and the
middle class (about 40%) dominated the social structure. South Korea made atransition to democracy in 1987, when Roh Tae Woo became president
through popular election. It could not introduce democracy in the 1960s or
70s, but socio-economic changes generated by rapid economic growth prepared conditions for political transformation by the late 1980s.

China and Vietnam
China and Vietnam are the fastest-growing countries in East Asia. They arealso socialist countries in systemic transition under one-party rule. They are in
the midst of rapid industrialization and social transformation that are expected
53

CHAPTER 2

to last at least for a few decades. Despite differences in size, history, governing
style, and the depth of economic planning in the past7, the two countries sharebasically the same dynamic problems. Their main challenge is to cope effectively with social problems caused by fast growth, while fast growth itself isgenerated by largely uncontrollable private dynamism rather than good policy.
Another important issue is to stage a smooth political transition as income rises.
Unlike Japan and South Korea in the past—and also Singapore, Taiwan,
Malaysia, and Thailand to a lesser extent—where the government played an
important role in setting concrete industrial goals, upgrading technology, andguiding investments, the current growth of China and Vietnam is driven
almost purely by strong private dynamism. In these countries, the government
makes relatively little contribution to generating growth other than unleashing
the private sector in pragmatic steps; (belatedly) preparing infrastructure,energy, and raw materials needed for growth; and reforming institutions in
response to new challenges. This may already be a great policy achievement
but it is much less than what other East Asian governments did in their rapid
growth eras.8 The two Communist governments have been more reactive andless visionary in charting the development paths of their countries. FDI
inflows and domestic private investments have been the driving force of structural change, with little effective intervention in the productive sector from thestate. Private industries have developed where the state receded.
On the question of balancing growth with social issues, Deng Xiaoping’s
China (1978-1997) clearly prioritized growth policies over social policies, and7. The major differences between China and Vietnam are as follows: (i) historically, Chinese people have boasted superb mercantile talent and global trade networks, which Vietnamese people
lack; (ii) China went through traumatic Cultural Revolution whereas Vietnam never had suchan experience despite post-unification confusion and North-South psychological divide; (iii)
Vietnam’s ruling style is much more pluralistic and consensual compared with China’s topdown decision making; and (iv) the Chinese history of socialist planning and industrial investment was much longer than in Vietnam, where wars prevented consistent execution of economic planning.
8. For example, the Korean government played an instrumental role, in close cooperation withchaebols and banks, in establishing steel, shipbuilding and automobile industries. In Meiji
Japan (1868-1912), the government vigorously promoted import substitution of marine transport, shipbuilding, cotton spinning, steel, locomotives and railroad cars, etc.

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brilliantly succeeded in accelerating growth in the 1990s. However, inevitableconsequences of fast growth such as inequality, environmental damage, corruption, internal migration, and asset bubbles emerged subsequently to hauntthe government. It can be said that the political legitimacy of the Chinese
regime now hangs critically on solving these social problems rather than further accelerating growth. In fact, growth is already sufficiently high, and the
management of the speed and sectoral content of growth is largely beyond theability of the Chinese government.
Unlike China, which made a clear shift from growth-first policy to a more balanced policy, Vietnam has long pursued both growth and social objectives
with equal weights, and therefore has not made any detectable policy shift inthis regard. Poverty alleviation, assistance to ethnic minorities, and regionalbalance in public investment have always been emphasized. In the future,
however, political legitimacy in Vietnam will also depend heavily on the government’s ability to execute policies to cope with similar social problems tothose in China, in addition to sustaining growth. Burgeoning social issues inVietnam include wealth gaps caused by land inflation (especially illegal land
speculation based on insider information), rural-urban migration, environmental degradation, traffic accidents, and a triad of social evils (illegal drugs,
prostitution, and HIV/AIDS).
In sum, the economies of China and Vietnam are being propelled and transformed by strong private forces, while official capability to manage thesechanges is yet to be demonstrated. Social transformation, as seen in South
Korea in the 1970s and 80s, is underway in both countries in terms of politicalculture and social structure. Political stability will require proper execution ofsocial policies. In the longer run, when income rises further, the politicalregime must also be adjusted. One option is to greatly strengthen the capability of the party, in line with Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP), so as tocontinue to deliver growth and social achievements under one-party rule.
Another option is to usher in political competition in manageable, gradualsteps. If both fail, political change will have to be left to less controllable
developments.
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6. Democratic developmentalism?
When authoritarian developmentalism is mentioned in international conferences, there are typically two types of reaction. The first is acceptance andeven praise of this regime as an effective tool for the development of latecomer countries. The second is rejection and abhorrence, with a strong convictionthat democracy is sacred and should not be sacrificed in the name of development. Generally speaking, officials and researchers in East Asia who havewitnessed the actual working of authoritarian developmentalism have morefavourable views of it than their Western counterparts.
The statement of Watanabe (1995) that “the economic success of East Asia islargely attributable to the adoption of developmentalism, i.e., the ideology thatplaces highest priority on economic development” (p.204, English translation)neither invites protestation nor adds anything new to the common understanding of former economic officials in the countries which executed such a strategy. However, there are those opposed to such a regime as a matter of principle.
Some believe that democracy and development are two separate matters thatcan be pursued independently from each other.9 For example, Dani Rodrik(2006) states:
I do not think there is any tradeoff [between economic growth anddemocracy]. I do not think the reason democracy is valuable is
exclusively or mostly for economic reasons. Nor do I think any
country in the world is poor enough that it cannot afford to havedemocracy or better observances of human rights. I believe that
empirical evidence supports that a country does not have to pay an
economic cost or penalty when it makes the transition to democracy. I do not subscribe to the idea that you need to delay democratization just so that you can actually have growth or that you can havedemocracy only when you can afford it .... I also do not think that
democracy is a precondition of economic growth. I think democracy

9. This view is diametrically opposed to the argument of Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen regarding
South Korea (Section 5 above), which contends that democracy is endogenous to the development stage.

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is good for a whole lot of things. The sooner you can have it the better. Democracy is a largely different issue than the question of development in the narrow economic growth sense.

Others regard the idea of authoritarian developmentalism as defunct. For
example, Robinson and White (1998) explain:This view [that authoritarian states are needed to achieve development in poor countries] lost credibility in the face of a number ofdevelopments in the late 1980s and early 1990s. First, the developmental success of a small group of established democracies(Botswana, Malaysia, and Mauritius) demonstrated that democracy(albeit in a formal, procedural sense) and development were notinherently incompatible… Second, the patent developmental failureof the vast majority of authoritarian regimes in Africa and Latin
America demonstrated that only a particular variant of this type of
regime—the developmental state—could successfully promote sustained economic growth, under a highly contingent set of politicaland institutional conditions that were not easily replicable elsewhere… (p.1)

The view that East Asia’s past regime cannot be transferred elsewhere prompted a search for the democratic developmental state, in which development isrealized in a political context where broad participation is permitted and a propoor agenda is prioritized. However, it seems that this quest still remains theoretical and preliminary, and in need of strong empirical backing before theidea becomes feasible and operational in the political reality of low-income
countries. For example, one proposal is to build a solid and stable development coalition based on the support of the rural population (poor farmers).
Another proposal is to install social democracy in poor countries, which tries
to combine growth and social justice, rather than liberal democracy, whichtends to promote exploitation and inequality.
However, a few basic facts from East Asia, where remarkable development
was actually carried out under globalization, should not be forgotten. High57

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performing economies in East Asia did not initiate growth with broad inclusion, for the reason that quick and decisive actions were needed to break awayfrom the poverty trap (Section 4). Their power base was narrow and included
capitalists only. The experience of these economies shows that both markets
and democracy grow slowly and in steps, and that economic development usually precedes political development in latecomer countries. The working mass
becomes a formidable political force only after a certain level of industrialization is achieved and the necessary political culture and social structure areprepared (see South Korea, Section 5). It is difficult to assume that poor workers and landless farmers in low-income countries can behave as effectively as
voters in developed democracies. Premature decentralization runs the risk ofrepeating the failure of the populist model (Figure 2-3) or causing the basic
functions of the state to disintegrate.
Instead of conjuring up a developmental state which never existed in history,
our suggestion is to start with the East Asian model but with significant modifications to make it more “democratic.” For this, it is necessary to decompose
democracy into various components and retain those that do not conflict withimmediate requirements of development. In this sense, we concur with Robinson and White (1998, p.5) that “parts” and “fragments” of democracy should
be selectively combined to build a democratic developmental state rather thantrying to devise a holistic democratic system.
In the narrowest sense, democracy is said to exist if political representatives
are chosen in free elections. For our purpose, however, the scope of democracy should be broadened to include the following components, which collectively define this political regime:
Purposes—freedom, basic human rights, equality, security, social andeconomic benefits for all, coexistence based on mutual respect, and so on
Procedures—legitimacy (election as a means of transition), rule of law,participation, multi-party system, balance of power among legislature,
executive and judiciary, local autonomy, and so on
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The East Asian Growth Regime and Political Development

Supporting properties—compromise, tolerance, patience, transparency,
accountability, and so on
With these multiple components, the existence of democracy is not an all-ornothing choice but a matter of degrees. Moreover, different types of burgeoning democracy may be constructed by selecting different components to suitthe local situation. Historically, authoritarian developmental states haverestricted some of these components to carry out development policies. But
not all components need to be suppressed to ensure agility in resource mobilization. We can legitimately ask whether the scope and amount of suppression
are reasonable for the purpose of accelerating growth.
For example, freedom to criticize the government is usually not fully grantedin authoritarian developmentalism, but random arrests, torture, and executionof political enemies at the whims of a dictator should never be allowed. Manyof the procedural components listed above, such as free election, participation
and balance of power, also tend to be restricted in such a regime, but the same
principle should also apply in evaluating these restrictions. In low-income
countries, some deviations from the Western norm may be tolerated, such as
legitimacy through delivering peace and prosperity rather than through election, dominance of the executive branch, and lack of decentralization and local
autonomy, provided that they are moderate, conducive to economic policy
making, and for the apparent purpose of benefiting all social groups.
Clearly, which restrictions are moderate and which are excessive is subject tojudgment and also dependent on the development stage. Surely, there will betension between those who prioritize growth and those who value democracy
highly. However, if we accept the notion that democracy is not a static systembut a dynamic process requiring constant effort for survival and improvement,
the fact that there is no uniform requirement for democracy for all developing
countries should pose no big problem.
Perhaps democratic developmentalism is a regime that places much greater
weight on democratic components at early stages of development compared59

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with East Asia’s authoritarian developmentalism in the past. Under democratic
developmentalism, the government must exercise strong self-control in imposing restrictions supposed to be helpful in conducting economic policies, andthe situation should be constantly monitored by domestic and international
watchdogs. If so, differences between democratic developmentalism andauthoritarian developmentalism are a matter of degrees. As a matter of fact,
East Asia’s authoritarian developmental states also exhibited a wide range
from the very suppressive Park regime in South Korea to the far more “democratic” rule of Dr. Mahathir in Malaysia. Low-income developing countries
should be able to choose from a broad spectrum of political regimes instead of
between full democracy and no democracy. The important question is whether
the selected regime is suitable for the country, and whether national leaders
are making a serious effort to embrace ever-higher levels of democracy as wellas economic development at the right speed.

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