Political Science 355/International Studies 355
Asian Governments and Politics
Spring 2007
Bill Newmann
Office Hours: 301B Scherer Hall
Monday and Wednesday 12-2:00 30 and by appointment
Phone Number: 828-8038
e-mail: wnewmann@vcu.edu
Newmann's home page: http://www.people.vcu.edu/~wnewmann/index.htm with links to other Newmann syllabi and the International and Area Studies Program description.
Introduction
Asia, more than any other area of the world, is undergoing fundamental change. The change is so sweeping that up until the fall of 1997 many suggested the world was entering a new millennium: European dominance of the world is ending, and we are entering the Pacific age. The collapse of many of the economies in Asia in 1997 had muted the world's optimism about Asia, but the economies have recovered, their political systems weathered the storm and even responded in ways that enhanced and strengthened democratic institutions in most of Asia. In essence, the optimism about Asia is even more pronounced. Asia is still experiencing massive political, economic, and social change. The outcome of these changes will still reshape the world. With all the changes, there are many paradoxes within Asian economic, social, and political development. Asia was one of the poorest regions of the world only 40 years ago. The economic policies that brought Asia its wealth are being adjusted as these economies mature and as China becomes a factor in everyone’s economic forecasts. Many states are strong democracies while other governments refuse to end their monopolies on power. In Asia, there are still communist governments -- communist governments that believe in free-market economics. There are also democracies with capitalist economies that rely on extensive economic planning. An era that witnesses such vast and rapid change will also be an era of many contradictions. It will be these contradictions that this course will hope to highlight and examine. The best symbol of Asia today that I have seen is a picture from an Asian newsweekly of a barefoot man in ragged clothes pulling a wooden cart down a dirt road. The cart was stacked with boxes containing IBM personal computers. Since the changes in Asia are most startling in recent years, we will be focusing during the semester on current political and economic trends. By current, I mean since World War II.
The Nations
We will discuss many different types of nations. In choosing countries on which to focus I have tried to pick nations that are representative of the broad shape of politics within Asia. One of the things you will learn this semester is that there is no typical Asian nation. Even the notion of "Asians" or an "Asian Way" is hard to justify. Asia is a geographic region. Beyond that it means little.
We will begin, of
course, with several weeks on China.
China contains over 20% of the planet's population, and it is undergoing rapid
economic change. It is still, however, a "communist" dictatorship run
by an oligarchy in the midst of consolidating its power and attempting to make
a legacy for itself after the death the old "core" leader. Deng
Xiaoping, the last of the second generation revolutionary leaders, died early
in 1997. 2003 marks the beginning of the transition from the third generation
led by Jiang Zemin to the fourth generation (Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao at the
top). These generations, and the men and women within them, are fighting over
the pace of economic, social, and political reform. That fight can lead
to many things -- upheaval, political transformation, economic collapse,
another
We will move onto Japan for several more weeks.
South Korea,
The next tier of
nations (in terms of economic and political development) includes Indonesia, Philippines,
Malaysia, and Thailand. These nations have taken
initial steps on their way to becoming major economic powers. Their political
development is fascinating to contrast. We may discuss these countries a bit as
examples of political and economic developments that are important to
With all the
change around
Finally, our focus
will move from
The Issues
As we examine each country, there are a number of issues we need to be thinking about:
1. Democracy and Development:
political development, public pressures for democracy, and economic
development. Some feel the relationship between these three aspects of a
nation-state is different within
2. The Role of the State: Many attribute the rapid success of the Asian economies to "administrative guidance" from the government bureaucracy or to a business-government partnership. Others argue that Asian nations such as Japan and the Four Tigers have been successful in spite of state intervention in the economy. We should have fun trying to deal with this issue.
3. Global Interdependence: The history of Asia is the history of powerful Asian nations intruding into the affairs of the smaller Asian nations, while powerful non-Asian nations have intruded into the affairs of Asian nations large and small. The rise of Asia can only be understood in the context of a global marketplace in which nations form a fundamental economic interdependence. The future may witness the reverse. The world economy and the world political system, both domestic and international, may be shaped by the development of Asia. Welcome to the Pacific Century.
4. Modernization vs. Tradition: All societies have longstanding cultural, religious, economic, and political traditions. Before modern governmental techniques took (if they have), societies ordered themselves through time-honored patterns. Rapid economic growth, and calls for political reform that usually accompany it, challenge those patterns and traditions. Sometimes tradition can be married to modernity; sometimes they clash head on. One path leads to stability; one leads to violence, perhaps even civil war. We will examine the tensions between tradition and modernization in all the nations we study.
5. China: Discussions of Asia begin and end with China. Since 1978 China has undergone rapid economic change. Political change has lagged behind. That's an understatement. While communism collapsed in Eastern Europe, those same forces for change in China were crushed on June 4, 1989 at Tiananmen Square. One big question remains for the future of Asia and the world: will China follow the economic imperative and become a peaceful part of the world community and an engine of world economic growth for the next 50 years, OR will China use its new-found strength to exert power and influence in a more traditional way -- expansion and aggression?
This course will consider both the large and small Asian nations. This is necessary to grasp the nature of political and economic development in Asia. It is also crucial to making this genuinely a course in comparative politics. For the purposes of comparison, we will examine a number of nations through a common analytical framework. This framework is described in a reading assigned for the first week. The political and economic development of each nation addressed will be considered through this framework. In brief, the framework is as follows:
I. Political Culture and Political Development
A. History
B. Culture/Political Culture
C. Foreign Influence
1. Nationalism/Independence
D. Creation of the Modern Nation-State
The purpose of this section is to set the stage for the modern drama within these nations. I will try to give you the background on the origin of the nation (the cultural and ethnic traditions), and the state (the internationally recognized sovereign entity).
II. Actors and Processes
A. Governmental Structure
B. Political Parties/Representation
C. Electoral Process/Succession/Leadership
D. Interest Groups
E. Federalism/Centralism
This section will outline the governmental structures of the state and the mechanisms for political participation.
III. Public Policy
A. Economics: State/Business/Bureaucracy Roles and Relationships
B. Political Stability and Economic Growth
C. Current Political/Economic Trends
D. Regional and Global Relations
Once the structures have been outlined, we can move on to the shape of government policy. How is policy made? What is the content of social and economic policy within the nation? I include current political and economic trends within this section because most current political debates within these nations are grounded in disputes over the shape of governmental economic and social policies. The political changes underway are grounded in these fundamental issues and questions. Key aspects of any political, economic, and social dynamics in Asia are the regional changes within Asia, and the growing importance of Asia in world affairs.
Texts
You need to read them; you don't need to buy them. The books are available at the Virginia Book Company (intersection of Shafer and Franklin) and at the VCU Bookstore. They are also available on reserve at the Cabell Library in Room 301. If anyone has problems getting access to the texts, for any reason, let me know as soon as possible so you don't get too far behind in the reading.
Grades
|
Map Quiz |
January 31 |
5% of grade |
|
Exam I |
February 26 |
25% of grade |
|
Exam II |
April 6 |
25% of grade |
|
April 23 |
25% of grade |
|
|
Exam III |
May 7, |
20% of grade |
How to calculate your grade. Use the percentages from the above table. So, if you received the following grades, you would calculate your grades in the following manner:
I give you this very detailed formula for a number of reasons. You should never be unaware of what your class average is. You can calculate it at any point in the semester. If your grade is not what you'd like it to be, you should know, and you should come see me about it. Do not come to me after Exam 3 and say that you're having trouble in the class. It's too late at that point. But any time in the semester that you feel you are having trouble, or not doing as well as you feel you should, come talk to me. During my office hours and by appointment I am happy to talk to you about the class.
Grading scale: I use a typical scale: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 55-69. Borderline grades are considered in the following manner. If your grade is 69.5, 79.5, or 89.5, then you are a candidate for a round up to the higher grade IF your grades have been going up during the semester. That means that if you are borderline, but your third exam is lower than the previous exams (you are between a B and C, but your third exam is a C), you will probably get the lower grade. If you are between a B and C, but your third exam is a B, you will probably get the B.
EXAMS: The exams will be short answer and essay. One week before the exam I will place a review sheet on line, linked to this syllabus, below this paragraph. This review sheet should be used as your study guide for the exam. The review sheet will include some terms that are from the readings only, so that you can go back and review those items from the readings. Once you have the review sheet, feel free to ask me questions about the terms. This is the best way to study for the exam. If you understand the terms on the review sheet, you can define each one and see how each one relates to the larger concepts and issues we've discussed in class, you should do just fine on the exam.
Research Paper Follow this link to the instructions for the paper. Read them. Read them now. Read them later. Please read them. In other words, maybe I think it is important that you read them.
Due April 23
Rough drafts can be turned in up
until April 16
Paper Topics due February 28
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1: January 15-19:
Introduction to
Lam:
Preface, Chapters 1 and 2
Newmann, "The
Comparative Method."
Week 2: January 22-26:
Lam:
Chapters 3 and 4
Week 3: January 29
-February 2: China II: Mao’s
Map Quiz: January 31
Lam:
Chapters 6 and 7
Week 4: February 5-9:
Johnson:
Prologue and Chapter 1, pp. 3-86.
Week 5: February 12-16:
Johnson:
Chapter 2, pp. 87-182.
Week 6: February 19-23:
Johnson:
Chapter 3, pp. 187-292.
Week 7: February 26-March 2:
Japan I: The Paradoxes of
Smith
Prologue, Chapter 1.
Week 8: March 5-9:
Smith:
Chapters 2, 3, and 4.
Spring Break: March 12-16
Week 9: March 19-23:
Smith:
Chapters 5, 6, and 7.
Week 10: March 26-30:
Smith:
Chapters 8, 9, and 10.
Week 11: April 2-6:
Smith:
Chapter 11 and Epilogue
Week 12: April 9-13:
Tharoor:
Preface, Chapter 1 and 2
Week 13: April 16-20:
Last day to turn in rough drafts: April 16
Tharoor:
Chapters 3-5
Week 14: April 23-27:
Tharoor:
Chapters 7 and 9
Week 15: April 30:
Tharoor:
Chapter 10
Exam 3: May 7: