ABSTRACT
A prominent theory, Lucian Pye's 'Asian power' theory, suggests that East Asians have a different cognitive understanding of political power. The only stable democracy in Asia, Japan, was at a level of development comparable to the advanced Western countries. Globalization is another trend that might affect how people perceive and support democracy. Its impact was first apparent in the boom enjoyed from the late 1990s by latecomer Asian economies that resulted from global market integration. The first remarkable trend is rapid economic development, particularly in the four Asian tigers in the 1980s, in the ASEAN countries in the 1990s, and China and other latecomers after 2000. The chapter summarizes the most common responses concerning the meaning of democracy in Asia into four major categories: freedom and liberty, social equality, norms and procedures, and good governance. 'Freedom and liberty' encompasses the notions of political freedom and civil liberties, such as freedom of expression, association, and religion.
