ABSTRACT
The rapid capitalist industrialization of East and Southeast Asia is viewed by many as a force for greater political liberalization. Try as they may, it is argued, authoritarian leaders will be unable to contain the social and political forces unleashed by the very economic transformation they have championed. In particular, effective media censorship is regarded as an unavoidable casualty of development. In addition to social changes increasing the level and diversity of demand for news and information, there is also the difficulty of restricting the impact of new electronic technologies. Moreover, a free flow of information is depicted as a functional requirement, indeed imperative, of further market development.
