Western Intervention and Informal Politics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Troels Burchall Henningsen
Keyword(s):  
Informal Politics

The Small State Challenge

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Corbett ◽  
Wouter Veenendaal
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Politics ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Small States ◽  
Small State ◽  
Informal Politics ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Approach Method ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
First Time

Chapter 1 introduces the main arguments of the book; outlines the approach, method, and data; defines key terms; and provides a chapter outline. Global theories of democratization have systematically excluded small states, which make up roughly 20 per cent of countries. These cases debunk mainstream theories of why democratization succeeds or fails. This book brings small states into the comparative politics fold for the first time. It is organized thematically, with each chapter tackling one of the main theories from the democratization literature. Different types of data are examined—case studies and other documentary evidence, interviews and observation. Following an abductive approach, in addition to examining the veracity of existing theory, each chapter is also used to build an explanation of how democracy is practiced in small states. Specifically, we highlight how small state politics is shaped by personalization and informal politics, rather than formal institutional design.

Informal Politics in East Asia

2001 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Joseph Yu-shek Cheng ◽  
Lowell Dittmer ◽  
Haruhiro Fukui ◽  
Peter N. S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Informal Politics

scholarly journals The Modernization of Factionalism in Chinese Politics

1995 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lowell Dittmer ◽  
Yu-Shan Wu
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Business Cycles ◽  
Political Business Cycle ◽  
Chinese Politics ◽  
Reform Era ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Informal Politics ◽  
Material Interests ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Altered Form

The informal dimension has always been important in Chinese politics, due to a traditional bias against legalism and favoring the sentimentalization of personal qualities. We contend that it remains so still, albeit in altered form. Rather than being oriented solely to personal or in-group security, factionalism in the context of the more secure bureaucratic environment of the reform era has come to embrace policy goals and material interests as well. Thus, informal politics proliferates, and factional fortunes tend tofluctuateaccording to the patterns of China's political business cycle.In the post-Mao era the radical reformers led by Deng Xiaoping have favored rapid growth, even at the expense of stability. The conservatives surrounding Chen Yun consider stability the paramount goal, believing that it should override considerations of growth. The synchronization of reform and business cycles, plus the appearance of periodic social movements whenever the growth rate slumps, makes reformers and conservatives vulnerable to charges of mismanaging the economy for their respective policy preferences. As long as the business, reform, and movement cycles coincide, wide policyfluctuationsdriven by a politics of blame are inevitable.

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