Stateness and Democracy in East Asia

There are many studies focusing on the relationship between culture, class, and economy and democracy in East Asia. However, most of them neglect to evaluate the significance of stateness in democratization. A strong stateness includes effective, non-corrupt administration, legitimate law enforcement, and a sense of attachment among citizens. Recent scholars on stateness and democracy are divided into two groups. Some believe that a strong existing state is the prerequisite of democratization. On the other hand, some disagree by claiming that “positive political development is more likely when effective state institutions have been put in place prior to democratization,” but democratization can be achieved without a well functioning state. As the argument continues, attention has been drawn to several demoratic states in East Asia.

The stronger states facilitate democratization argument collapses when we examine the democratization in East Timor, one of the most fragile states in East Asia. East Timor  experienced one of the most extensive processes of post-conflict peacebuilding undertaken by the United Nations since 1999. One of the aims of post-conflict peacebuilding was to establish democracy and a market economy. When the UN started rebuilding the country, there were no state or previous regimes. The weak bureaucracy led to ineffective rule of law, making East Timor extremely fragile. However, with the assistance of the UN, East Timor became one of the most democratic states in East Asia with multi-party politics and public elections. Scholars even observed high voter turnouts and a degree of political competition between parties in this unstable state.

The case of Indonesia, however, shows that democratization could be challenging in a weak state. Indonesia attempted to democratize after the Second World War but failed to become one until 1999. Power sharing and democratic elections enabled Indonesia’s elites to cooperate to avoid potential violence after gaining independence from the Dutch. Nevertheless, the new established country faced many problems. Without an effective core of state institutions, democracy in Indonesia eventually became not sustainable. Although Indonesia was politically inclusive, democratization in the case of a fragile state hindered the creation of an effective bureaucracy and contributed to the breakdown of order. 

The case of East Timor shows that a fragile state is still able to achieve democratization. In contrast, the failure of democracy in Indonesia during the 1950s reminded us of the challenge democratization faced in an unstable state. Although a strong stateness is not essential to democracy, it eliminates threats to democratization, thus fostering political development. 

Bibliography

Croissant, Aurel, and Olli Hellmann. Stateness and Democracy in East Asia. New York, 

New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020. 

Ludvigsson , Karin. “Democracy in Timor-Leste,” August 2008.