SAKODA, Keita

Does the globalization have a positive or negative impact on
democracy? : The case of East Asia
The general characteristics of our time
If you ask an East Asian to come up with a word which describes today, the most likely answer will be “Globalization”.

This is because the socio economic impact of globalization is huge in East Asia. The increasing personal contact andinformation flows (socio) as well as the increasing actual flows such as Trade or FDI (economic), is evident in many

countries. At the same time, the region is becoming more important than ever. De facto regionalization especially in thefield of economy is taking place in East Asia. This can be seen in “the expansion of intra-regional trade and theestablishment of regional production networks by multinational corporations: formation of foreign trade & FDI nexus” i.

To put it simply, globalization and regionalization are simultaneously taking place in East Asia.

The meaning of globalization and regionalization
There are two important implications for globalization. 1. Globalization means modernization in developing countries.

Modernization in developing countries is characterized by high growth rate and the GDP composed largely of industry

sector. Countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam are examples. 2. Globalization means post-modernization indeveloped countries. Post-modernization in developed countries is characterized by low growth rate and the GDP

composed largely of service sector. Japan and Singapore are examples. The developed post-modern countries have otherinteresting characteristics. As has been said by Robert Cooper, “the main characteristics of the post-modern world are asfollows” ii:The breaking down of the distinction between domestic and foreign affairs.= (mutual interference in traditionaldomestic affairs and mutual surveillance.
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SAKODA, KeitaThe rejection of force for resolving disputes and the conquest codification of self-enforced rules of behavior.

The growing irrelevance of borders.

Security based on transparency, mutual openness, interdependence and mutual vulnerability.

It is fair to say that the main characteristics of the modern world are the opposite of the characteristics above. In EastAsia, almost none of the post-modern characteristics are evident. Perhaps with the notable of exception of historicalissues among some North East Asian countries. This shows geographical complexity of East Asia: there is a mixture of

the developing modern countries and the developed post-modern countries.

Regionalization in East Asia is the process to bridge these two different worlds. The bride is formed under the name of“the distribution of labor”iii. The distribution of labor in East Asia is due to “1) geographical proximity, 2) heterogeneityof the Asian economies, and 3) liberalization of efficiency-seeking FDI in contrast to market-seeking FDI”iv. In East Asia,

the developing modern countries and the developed post-modern countries are pursuing their own goals side by side.

The meaning of democracy
What are the necessary conditions for democracy? The necessary conditions are the followings: “1.government basedon majority rule and the consent of the governed 2.the existence of free and fair elections 3.the protection of minorities
and respect for basic human rights”v. Why is democracy important in our time? Democracy is important because theglobalization brings unpredictability. This unpredictability is caused by unprecedented technological advances andincreasing mobility of goods, money, and ideas which are no longer controllable by the single state. The unpredictablesocial changes undermine the ability of the single state to plan for the future. This will inevitably undermine thelegitimacy of the authoritarian state whose job is to plan for the future. Thus, in order for the state to maintain its

legitimacy, it is essential to let people decide. The message of democracy is: Take care of yourself!
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SAKODA, Keita
Democracy and the regionalization in East Asia
Democracy strengthens legitimacy by giving power to the people. As has been mentioned above, democracy isimportant because democracy is flexible when it comes to dealing with new problems in the era of increasing

unpredictability. There are some cases in which democratic states suffer from instability. Many authoritarian states are

reluctant to democratize thinking the democratization causes the instability. However, the source of instability is not in

democracy, it is either in the lacking of social capital or state’s legitimacy. Democracy in Thailand is unstable and often

cited as an example of the democracy causing instability. 2006 Thai coup illustrates the instability of Thai democracy.
However, it is not democracy which directly caused the coup. “The growing gap between haves and have-nots, and theloss of the state’s legitimacy through numerous corruption cases were the direct causes of the coup”vi.

Promoting regionalization beyond de facto economic cooperation is indeed difficult. In order for the regionalization

beyond the economic cooperation, each member state has to have the capacity to take care of itself. In order for the state

to take care of itself, the state has to have sufficient legitimacy. In order for the state to maintain its legitimacy in the eraof increasing unpredictability, it has to be democratic.

Democracy gains legitimacy by comparing itself with non-democracy. Non-democracy is a source of democracy’slegitimacy. This is one of the factors in which hinders the regionalization in many fields such as security or politics inEast Asia.

Does globalization have a positive or negative impact on democracy in East Asia?
Globalization indeed has a positive impact on democracy in East Asia. For the sake of its own survival, the states have tobe flexible enough to counter unpredictability caused by globalization. Globalization brings both chances and risks tomany countries in East Asia. The state has mold itself into the changing environment, if it wants to make use of the3

SAKODA, Keitachances brought by globalization.

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URATA, Shujiro (2008) A Shift from Market-driven to Institution-driven Regionalization in East Asia

ii

COOPER Robert (2002) The new liberal imperialism

iii

URATA, Shujiro (2008) A Shift from Market-driven to Institution-driven Regionalization in East Asia

iv

KIM Chong Sup (2008) Global Production Network in East Asiav

KEKIC Laza (2007) The Economist Intelligence Unit’s index of democracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Thai_coup_d'%C3%A9tat#Causes_of_the_coupvi5