Political Parties, Party Systems and Democratization in East Asia

Some fledging democracies in the world have encountered setbacks due to political parties trying to grapple with the expectations of sophisticated electorates and introducing gradual political reforms over the years. This book describes how democracy is evolving in East Asia and how it assumes different forms in different countries, with political parties adapting and evolving alongside. It has a two-fold intent. First, it contends that the existing variety of party systems in East Asia will endure and may even flourish, rather than converge as liberal democracies. Second, it highlights the seeming political durability of one party systems — unlike two-part or multi-party systems in the US and Europe — and their enduring predominance in countries such as Cambodia, China, Singapore and Vietnam. Contents:Introduction (L F Lye & W Hofmeister)One Party System:Is Democratization Compatible with China's One-Party System? (Y-N Zheng & L F Lye)The Vietnamese Communist Party and Renovation (Doi Moi) in Vietnam (D L Thuy)One Party Dominant System:Cambodia: A Hegemonic Party System in the Making (S Peou)The People's Action Party and Political Liberalization in Singapore (K P Tan)The End of One-Party Dominance and Japan's Emergence as a “Common Democracy” (P E Lam)Multi-Party System:Thai Political Parties in the Age of the Great Divide (P Chachavalpongpun)Last Chapter of an Uneasy Partnership: The Loss of Jusuf Kalla in the 2009 Presidential Election (S Hadi)Political Parties and Party System in Korea after Democratization: Cartelized Party System and Oscillations Between Two Models (S-H Lim)Priorities for Philippine Political Parties: Mass Membership, Political Education, and Party Development Law (D T Gonzalez)Taiwan's Democratization and the Freezing of the Party System (H-Y Shyu)Two Key Stumbling Blocks for Hong Kong's Democratization: Personal Vote and Beijing's Policies (H Y Li) Readership: Students and academics studying and teaching political science and history, with particular emphasis on the Asian context; executives in the media and non-profit organizations, policy makers in governments and non-government organizations. Keywords:Democracy;Democratisation;Political Parties;Party Systems;East Asia;Civil Society;Non-Governmental Organizations;Multi-Party System;One-Party System;One-Party Dominant System;AuthoritarianismKey Features:Challenges predictable views of the development of party systems and political parties in East AsiaShowcases the prevailing historical, political and socioeconomic conditions of East Asian countriesReviews: “This is an impressive and comprehensive book. The case studies in this book also add credence to the thesis that a stable party system contributes to democratic consolidation.” Democratization