Democracy in Crisis

List of Contributors 9
Acknowledgements 13

Introduction _Kim Kyong-Dong and Hyun-Chin Lim 15
The Resurgence of Authoritarianism: The Advent of Tsars, Emperors, and Sultans 16
The Aims of this Book: Conditions and Prospects for Mature Democracy 20
Implications for Korea 25

PART 1 Rethinking Democracy in Global Perspective

1 Is Perfect Democracy Possible? _Kim Kyong-Dong 33

1. Introduction 33
2. So What Happened to Democracy? 40
Government of the People 41
The True Meaning of “Government of the People” 41
Who Are the People? 44
Government by the People 54
Elections 56
Representative Democracy Dissected 59
Government for the People 64
3. In Search of Alternative Remedies 68
Why Confucianism? 74
Government for the People, First and Above All 76
Government by the People: The Confucian Logic 85
Confucian Thoughts as an Alternative for the Reconstruction of Democracy 91
Alternative Measures for the Reconstruction of Democracy 99
Ideals and Realities of Direct Participation 100
In Search of Alternative Approaches to Indirect Democracy 103
4. In Closing 108

2 Democracy: Between Hope and Despair _David Held 119

1. Three Models of Democracy 121
2. The Changing Rules of the Interstate System 127
3. The Politics of Accommodation at Risk 130
4. Gridlock and the Rise of Nationalism 133
5. The Vicious Circle of Self-Reinforcing Gridlock 136
6. Democracy at Risk 139

PART 2 Democracy in Asia

3 Why Did Democratization Backslide? Japan in the 1920s and ’30s _Hiroshi Watanabe 147

1. “Party Politics”: Its Rise and Fall 147
2. Politicization of the Military 153
3. How and Why Did the Parliament and Political Parties Lose Their Power So Easily? 159
4. Conclusion 167

4 Crisis of Democracy and Economic Reforms in Korea _Hae-Ran Lim 171

1. Introduction 171
2. Theoretical Consideration on Democracy 174
3. Crisis of Democracy in Korea 176
Dismantling of Social Base 177
Crisis of Representation: Collapse of Parliamentary Democracy 182
4. Political and Economic Factors Affecting the Crisis of Democracy in Korea 185
Megatrends: Globalization and Informatization 186
Economic Reforms: Interests and Ideas of Neo-Liberal Reforms 189
5. Conclusion 201

PART 3 Institutional Design to Consolidate Democracy

5 Why Is Liberal Democracy in Trouble? _Marc F. Plattner 211
Why Is Liberal Democracy in Trouble? 212

6 Is Mature Democracy Feasible in Korean Society? _Wanki Paik 231

1. Introduction 231
2. Psycho-cultural Approach: From the Perspective of Civic Consciousness 233
3. Details of the Psycho-Cultural Approach 234
Ordering of Freedom 235
Equality as Rational Discrimination 242
Modalities of Democracy-Friendly Power 246
Diffusion of the Coexistent Ego based on Personal Ego 250
Society Respecting Fact more than Truth 253
Culture of Power 254
Process over Result 256
Democratic Elitism 258
Internalization and Generalization of Security Consciousness 262
4. Conclusion 263

Index 267