The Role of Rural Institutions and State Campaigns in Development

2020 ◽  
pp. 14-48
Author(s):  
Kristen E. Looney
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Developmental State ◽  
Economic Management ◽  
Reform Era ◽  
Developmental States ◽  
Rural Institutions

This chapter discusses the role of rural institutions and state campaigns in development. Most accounts of rural development in East Asia privilege the role of land reform and the emergence of developmental states. However, this narrative is incomplete. A thorough examination of rural sector change in the region reveals the transformative effects of rural modernization campaigns, which can be defined as policies demanding high levels of bureaucratic and popular mobilization to overhaul traditional ways of life in the countryside. East Asian governments' use of campaigns runs counter to standard portrayals of the developmental state as wholly technocratic and demonstrates that rural development was not the inevitable result of industrialization. Rather, it was an intentional policy goal accomplished with techniques that aligned more with Maoism or Leninism than with market principles or careful economic management. The chapter begins by assessing common explanations for East Asian rural development in the post-World War II period. It then turns to the case of China and explores some of the reasons for rural policy failures in the Mao era (1949–1976) and successes in the reform era (1978–present). Finally, the chapter revisits the case of Japan and concludes with a few points about why existing theories of state-led development need to be reexamined.

scholarly journals An East Asian Approach to Rural Development: A Comparative of the Saemaul Undong and FELDA Programs

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-98
Author(s):  
Nurliana Kamaruddin
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
National Development ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Developmental State ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Federal Land ◽  
Northeast Asian

The study of East Asia has generally focused on its national development experience with emphasis given to industrial urban-based growth. However, the region has also been credited for impressive rural growth due to the Northeast Asian land reform and overall investment for a Green Revolution by states. Less emphasis has been given to a comparative exploration of different rural development programs that existed. Studies on rural development programs within the region have been diverse with case-specific perspectives, rather than in accordance with a unified conceptualization of what it means to have successful rural development. This article attempts to address that gap by evaluating two cases, the South Korean Saemaul Undong and the Malaysian Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA). It applies three different development perspectives; the neoliberal approach, the developmental state approach, and the humancentered approach, to determine the degree to which these programs can be considered successful. An East Asian conceptualization of successful rural development is identified based on an emphasis on government capacity, grassroots participation, a shared mentality for national development and a prioritization on building human capital.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study of State-Led Development in Myanmar (1988–2010) and Suharto's Indonesia: An Approach from the Developmental State Theory

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai Khaing Myo Tun
Keyword(s):  
Political Development ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Developmental State ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Military Government ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Developmental States ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
The Military

This article explores the institutionalization of state-led development in Myanmar after 1988 in comparison with Suharto's Indonesia. The analysis centres on the characteristics and theory of developmental states that emerged from the studies of East Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In Southeast Asia, Suharto's Indonesia was perceived as a successful case and was studied by scholars in line with the characteristics of the developmental state. The Tatmadaw (military) government in Myanmar was believed to follow the model of state-led development in Indonesia under Suharto where the military took the role of establishing economic and political development. However, Myanmar has yet to achieve its goal of building a successful state-led development. Therefore, this paper argues that implementing an efficient and effective institutionalization is essential for a successful state-led development (developmental state) in Myanmar.

Mobilization Campaigns and Rural Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Kristen E. Looney
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Mass Mobilization ◽  
Rural Transformation ◽  
Developmental States ◽  
Brief Assessment ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Rural Policy

ABSTRACT Most accounts of East Asian economic growth have focused on the role of developmental states in successful industrialization. This article expands and challenges that framework by showing that rural policy was different from industrial policy. A key finding is that for more than a century, East Asian states have relied on mass mobilization campaigns rather than on technocratic planning and market-conforming institutions to achieve rural development. Based on case studies of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China, the author argues that three main factors explain the rise of campaign states: revolutionary traditions, rural populism, and policy learning. A brief assessment of outcomes illustrates the payoffs and costs of campaigns and the practical considerations that drive them. The author’s analysis offers a new perspective on the East Asian model and disputes the widely held view that campaigns are tragic exercises in social control, demonstrating instead that they were central to the region’s rural transformation.

The State and Rural Development in East Asia

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Kristen E. Looney
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
East Asian ◽  
The State ◽  
Urban Bias ◽  
Developmental States ◽  
Ruling Elites

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the state and rural development in East Asia. In many developing countries, ruling elites pursue industrial development at the expense of the rural sector. They regard industry as critical for national security and economic competitiveness, and many believe that industry-led growth is sufficient to reduce poverty. This preference for industry is known as urban bias. In contrast with most developing countries, East Asia emerged in the post-World War II period as a region that seemed to defy the logic of urban bias, achieving both urban-industrial growth and rural-agricultural development. Nevertheless, it is also true that East Asian governments exploited agriculture, eroding the prospects for long-term development and giving rise to significant rural–urban disparities. Focusing on Taiwan, South Korea, and China, the book examines how and why East Asia achieved rural development, and it advances a theory to explain variation among East Asian countries. It demonstrates that rural transformation in East Asia was not a byproduct of industrialization, but the result of aggressive interventions by strong and activist (if not exactly developmental) states.

scholarly journals Redesign or demise of old Developmental States? East Asia in the post-financial crisis of 2008

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-711
Author(s):  
Roberta Rodrigues Marques da Silva ◽  
Rafael Shoenmann de Moura
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Developmental State ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Developmental States ◽  
Institutional Frameworks ◽  
The Us ◽  
Political Economies ◽  
Systemic Crisis ◽  
Developmental Dynamics

ABSTRACT This article investigates comparatively the recent developmental dynamics of four East Asian political economies: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China. We analyze how the critical juncture engendered by the systemic crisis of the US subprime impacted on its State capabilities, particularly regarding industrial policy, being mediated by the respective regulatory and institutional frameworks. Additionally, we compare the impacts of the 2008 crisis and the previous Asian regional crisis of 1997. Our findings indicate that State capabilities, associated to the historical construction of a Developmental State, were a central feature to understand the resilience of each political economy.

Rural Development in South Korea, 1950s–1970s

2020 ◽  
pp. 80-116
Author(s):  
Kristen E. Looney
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Deep Roots ◽  
Urban Bias ◽  
Rural Change ◽  
Agricultural Cooperative ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Extension Agencies ◽  
Rural Institutions ◽  
Household Incomes

This chapter explains South Korea's mixed record of rural development. It begins with an overview of rural change in the postwar period and shows that agriculture did not contribute much to the overall economy or to rural household incomes because of an adverse policy environment. The situation improved in the 1970s, with noticeable gains in production, incomes, and infrastructure, although progress was uneven in each of these areas. The chapter then discusses rural institutions and the shift away from urban bias. It argues that agriculture underperformed because land reform was insufficient for long-term growth and because South Korea's rural institutions were relatively weak. The Ministry of Agriculture was low in the bureaucratic hierarchy, and its extension agencies never developed deep roots in society. The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) in particular was qualitatively different from its counterpart in Taiwan; it was an appendage of the state that exhibited linkage but not autonomy. Rural policy was implemented in a more rigid, top-down manner, with less participation from small farmers and fewer people advocating on their behalf. The South Korean case illustrates both the strengths and weaknesses of a campaign approach to development. The New Village Movement essentially reset the priorities of every branch of government, temporarily overriding other work.

The State, Village Communities, and Peasants: The “Third Realm” in Socialist China

Rural China ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-64
Author(s):  
Hua Gui
Keyword(s):  
Land Reform ◽  
The State ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Economic Management ◽  
Reform Era ◽  
The Third ◽  
Rural Governance ◽  
Land Systems ◽  
Village Communities ◽  
Rural Collectives

Unlike past studies that have focused on the economic issues about rural collectives, this article reexamines the economic management of rural collectives by paying attention to both their economic and political attributes. Because of the land reform and the rebuilding of grassroots social structures under the leadership of the CCP, the intermediary organization connecting the state and the rural population underwent a transition from village/lineage communities (“the enlarged private”) to rural collectives (“the enlarged public”), hence the transformation of the “third realm” from the private to the public spheres at the grassroots level. The reform era since the 1980s, however, has witnessed the dual weakening of both the “enlarged private” and the “reduced public” in the third realm because of reforms in rural management and land systems. The “two-in-one” formation of state-society relations will be maintained in rural governance in the next two or three decades, which necessitates the reconstruction of the rural governance system through the rebuilding of the collective economy.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATORS IN RURAL INSTITUTIONS

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-154
Author(s):  
Vilma Atkočiūnienė ◽  
Gintarė Vaznonienė ◽  
Alvydas Aleksandravičius
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Positive Research ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Rural Institutions ◽  
Paradigm Analysis ◽  
Economic Globalisation

In rural areas where life is slower but social problems tend to be deeper there is a need for urgent, pro-active and professional area-orientated development decisions. Due to challenges posed to agriculture by economic globalisation and sustainable development, both theoretical and applied scientific research is necessary for improving agricultural and rural development policies as well as their management. It should be highlighted that the demand for professional and innovative activities is significantly higher in rural development compared to the other sectors. The aim of this research is to explore the role and the functions of rural development administrators in rural institutions. The methodology of this research is based on the positive research paradigm, analysis of content and descriptive analysis, empirical study methods, logical and systematical reasoning, abstract and other methods. In order to assess the role of rural development administrators, three groups of experts (professionals, NGO and leaders of government organisations) were selected. Their opinions enabled the comparison of assumptions regarding the behaviour of rural development administrators as well as their participation in the process of rural development. The findings are expected to be useful for local, regional and national rural development policy makers and other actors inter-ested in management of rural development innovations in public sector.

The Role of the Local State in China's Transitional Economy

1995 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 1132-1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean C. Oi
Keyword(s):  
Property Rights ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
Comparative Advantage ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Transitional Economy ◽  
Newly Industrializing Countries ◽  
Developmental States ◽  
Secure Environment ◽  
Laissez Faire

All states have a role in development, but this varies widely. The spectrum is defined at one end by the laissez faire minimalist state whose role is limited to ensuring a stable and secure environment so that contracts, property rights and other institutions of the market can be honoured. At the opposite end are the centrally planned Leninist states that directly replace the market with bureaucratic allocation and planning. Between these two extremes are the capitalist developmental states of Japan and the East Asian Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) that are neither Communist nor laissez faire, but exhibit characteristics of both. The state plays an activist, rather than a minimalist, role; there is planning, but it is geared toward creating maximum competitive and comparative advantage for manufacturers within a market economy.

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