Confucianism and Democratization in East Asia

Doh Chull Shin is Jack W. Peltason Scholar in Residence at the Center for the Study of Democracy at the University of California, Irvine. He is the founder of the Korea Democracy Barometer and a co-founder of the Asian Barometer. His recent books include The Quality of Life in Confucian Asia (2010), How East Asians View Democracy (2008), Citizens, Democracy, and Markets around the Pacific Rim (2006) and Mass Politics and Culture in Democratizing Korea (Cambridge, 2000).

• Part I. Confucianism and Confucian East Asia: 1. The evolution of Confucian East Asia and its cultural legacies; 2. The Confucian Asian values thesis; Part II. Upholding Confucian Values: 3. Confucianism as a hierarchical way of life; 4. Confucianism as a government of paternalistic meritocracy; Part III. Engaging in Civic Life: 5. Communitarianism and civic activism; 6. Familism and civic orientations; Part IV. Embracing Democracy: 7. Conceptions of democracy; 8. Support for democracy; Part V. Final Thoughts: 9. Reassessing the Confucian Asian values debate.

'Defenders of Asian values are wrong to claim that democracy and Confucianism are incompatible. Yet modernization theorists are also wrong to think that economic development inevitably leads to widespread support for liberal democracy. Drawing on a wealth of empirical research, Doh Chull Shin shows that the Confucian legacy of paternalistic meritocracy informs a strong popular preference for nonliberal democracy in East Asia. This book will shape the debate on democratization in East Asia for years to come.' Daniel A. Bell, Jiaotong University and Tsinghua University