Deliberative Democracy in Asia

Description

Featuring cases from India, China, Nepal, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Mongolia and Malaysia, the authors demonstrate and compare the differing uses of public deliberation in Asia. Many countries in Asia have long traditions of public deliberation, in both democratic and undemocratic settings, some of which continue today. Yet in the face of pressures from complex governance, popular protests and democratization, certain deliberative practices – notably deliberative polling – have been ‘parachuted’ into the region without regard to historical or traditional practices of deliberation. And, the motivations differ. Some states have made use of public deliberation in order to contain dissent, while others have more emancipatory goals in mind. The contributors to this book take a comparative perspective on the emergence and evolution of deliberative practices in Asia, and their relationships with democracy. They analyse the main motivations for introducing public deliberation in different political regimes and the effectiveness of public deliberation in Asian countries for solving problems and improving governance. In doing so they evaluate whether deliberative democratic tools, can apply to all societies regardless of their political and cultural differences. Essential reading for students and scholars of Asian Politics, this book will also be of great use to all political scientists with an interest in deliberative democracy. Cover Endorsements Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of figures List of tables Acknowledgements List of contributors 1. Deliberative Democracy in Asia: Past, Present and Future 2. Village Deliberative Democracy and Village Governance in China 3. Indonesia: Deliberate and Deliver – Deepening Indonesian Democracy through Social Accountability 4 Deliberative Democracy in Indian Villages 5. Nepal: Participatory and Deliberative Constitution-making in a Divided Society 6. Deliberative Democracy versus Elite Deliberation in Malaysia 7. Consultation as Non-Democratic Participation: Singapore and its Implications 8. The Philippines: An Uneven Trajectory of Deliberative Democracy 9. Democracy and Deliberative Polling in Policymaking in Japan 10. Deliberative Democracy in South Korea: Four Deliberative Polling Experiments 11. Deliberative Polling on the Amendment of the Press Law and the Audio-Visual Broadcasting Act in Macao 12. Mongolia: Piloting Elements of a Deliberative System 13. Conclusion: Comparative Questions About Deliberative Democracy in Asia Index