The Institutional Imperative: The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia (Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center)

Why do some countries in the developing world achieve growth with equity, while others do not? If democracy is the supposed panacea for the developing world, why have Southeast Asian democracies had such uneven results? In exploring these questions, political scientist Erik Martinez Kuhonta argues that the realization of equitable development hinges heavily on strong institutions, particularly institutionalized political parties and cohesive interventionist states, and on moderate policy and ideology. The Institutional Imperative is framed as a structured and focused comparative-historical analysis of the politics of inequality in Malaysia and Thailand, but also includes comparisons with the Philippines and Vietnam. It shows how Malaysia and Vietnam have had the requisite institutional capacity and power to advance equitable development, while Thailand and the Philippines, because of weaker institutions, have not achieved the same levels of success. At its core, the book makes a forceful claim for the need for institutional power and institutional capacity to alleviate structural inequalities. Why do some countries in the developing world achieve growth with equity, while others do not? If democracy is the supposed panacea for the developing world, why have Southeast Asian democracies had such uneven results? In exploring these questions, the author of this book argues that the realization of equitable development hinges heavily on strong institutions, particularly institutionalized political parties and cohesive interventionist states, and on moderate policy and ideology. The book is framed as a structured and focused comparative-historical analysis of the politics of inequality in Malaysia and Thailand, but also includes comparisons with the Philippines and Vietnam. It shows how Malaysia and Vietnam have had the requisite institutional capacity and power to advance equitable development, while Thailand and the Philippines, because of weaker institutions, have not achieved the same levels of success. At its core, the book makes a claim for the need for institutional power and institutional capacity to alleviate structural inequalities Contents......Page 10 List of Illustrations......Page 12 List of Abbreviations......Page 14 Note on Terms and Spelling......Page 16 Note on Currencies and Measurements......Page 18 Acknowledgments......Page 20 Maps......Page 24 I: Introduction and Theory......Page 28 1. Introduction......Page 30 2. Institutions and Social Reform......Page 45 II: The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia......Page 74 3. From Colonialism to Independence: A Festering Crisis......Page 80 4. Reforming State, Party, and Economy......Page 107 III: The Politics of Equitable Development in Thailand......Page 146 5. The Bureaucratic Polity Ascendant and the Failure of Reform......Page 152 6. Growth Without Equity......Page 179 IV: Extensions and Conclusions......Page 220 7. Extending the Theoretical Argument: The Philippines and Vietnam......Page 222 8. Conclusion......Page 266 Appendix – Controlling for Social Structure: Fiji, Guyana, and Sri Lanka......Page 276 Notes......Page 282 References......Page 330 Index......Page 360 Contents 10 List of Illustrations 12 List of Abbreviations 14 Note on Terms and Spelling 16 Note on Currencies and Measurements 18 Acknowledgments 20 Maps 24 I: Introduction and Theory 28 1. Introduction 30 2. Institutions and Social Reform 45 II: The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia 74 3. From Colonialism to Independence: A Festering Crisis 80 4. Reforming State, Party, and Economy 107 III: The Politics of Equitable Development in Thailand 146 5. The Bureaucratic Polity Ascendant and the Failure of Reform 152 6. Growth Without Equity 179 IV: Extensions and Conclusions 220 7. Extending the Theoretical Argument: The Philippines and Vietnam 222 8. Conclusion 266 Appendix – Controlling for Social Structure: Fiji, Guyana, and Sri Lanka 276 Notes 282 References 330 Index 360 9780804770835 Stanford University Press Part 1. Introduction and theory. Introduction Institutions and social reform Part 2. Politics of equitable development in Malaysia. From colonialism to independence : a festering crisis Reforming state, party, and economy Part 3. Politics of equitable development in Thailand. The bureaucratic polity ascendant and the failure of reform Growth without equity Part 4. Extensions and conclusions. Extending the theoretical argument : the Philippines and Vietnam Conclusion. This book is a comparative-historical study of the politics of equitable development in Southeast Asia and the role of political institutions in addressing structural inequalities.