PPA - Authoritarianism

Question 1

What is the main argument?

Answer 1

That democracy is not unpopular as an idea but strict regime control has prevented it from taking root

Question 2

How can we prove this and which thinker backs this up?

Answer 2

Regimes use pretences of democracy for legitimacy, Gandhi and Lust-Okar show that regimes survive longer with pretence of elections

Question 3

What is Lipset’s original formulation of modernisation theory?

Answer 3

that socio-economic development sets off an array of profound social changes, urbanisation, industrialisation, wealth, education, that come together to produce democracy

Question 4

which four theories explain why this doesn’t apply to Singapore and Malaysia?

Answer 4

Schedler - Menu of Manipulation, Slater - state-building, Case - Inter-elite relationships, Rodan - Middle Classes

Question 5

what do restrictive party laws do?

Answer 5

limit voter choice

Question 6

what do restrictive media laws?

Answer 6

limit formation of preference

Question 7

what do corruption and vote buying do?

Answer 7

limit expression of preference

Question 8

how are consequences of choice manipulated?

Answer 8

electoral results are extremely disproportionate

Question 9

How does the Menu of Manipulation help?

Answer 9

array of institutional restrictions allow the regime to embark upon a path of risk-free democracy

Question 10

What is the largest amount of seats not won by PAP in Singapore and when?

Answer 10

6 in 2011

Question 11

in 2013 Barisan got 60% of seats but with how much of the vote?

Answer 11

47%

Question 12

what encouraged state building in Singapore and Malaysia according to Slater, and where did they come from?

Answer 12

Radicalised labour movements that stemmed out of the resistance to Japanese Occupation

Question 13

when and why did UMNO impose martial law?

Answer 13

In 1969 due to leftists riots stemming from turbulent class and ethnic relations

Question 14

What methods did PAP use to prevent leftist threat?

Answer 14

Political coercion and systematic arrests against communists, in party and outside

Question 15

Which event does Slater believe led to the authoritarian style of government in Singapore?

Answer 15

Failed attempt at incorporation into Malaysia, 1963-65

Question 16

As a result of leftist threat, what do both parties have?

Answer 16

Huge economic powers (from compulsory contributions) and coercive powers (police forces built to combat leftist threat)

Question 17

Why does case think democracy hasn’t been popular?

Answer 17

Inter-elite relations and conflicts

Question 18

How does Case’s argument apply to Singapore?

Answer 18

The state made business elites but then incorporated them in bureaucracy and party, making them indifferent to democracy?

Question 19

What kind of entrepreneurship is present in Singapore, and where else has the nation got money from?

Answer 19

Public-sector entrepreneurship and they get money from direct investment from TNCs

Question 20

How does Case’s argument apply to Malaysia?

Answer 20

ethnically segmented elites, Malays rely on UMNO for employment, Chinese rely on UMNO for their own private businesses

Question 21

What did the New Economic Policy (NEP) do and how was it affected by the economy?

Answer 21

NEP promoted Malay business, but the price of petroleum crashing in the 1980s meant that patronage had to be reined in. This isolated both ethnic groups, but economy recovered and calls for democracy disappeared

Question 22

What is Rodan’s argument?

Answer 22

that the middle classes in these countries are not the propellers of democracy

Question 23

Apply Rodan’s argument to Singapore?

Answer 23

the state is a middle-class state, private business is dominated by foreign companies, meaning that the roots for success are through meritocratic (not nepotistic) public sector

Question 24

Apply Rodan’s argument to Malaysia

Answer 24

Middle Class shaped partly by economic development, and partly by state (promotion of Malays due to NEP). Middle Class not unified, majority Malays favoured hugely, thus supporters of regime

Question 25

Finally, generally why is socioeconomic modernisation not likely to change anything in Singapore and Malaysia?

Answer 25

Singapore can hardly get more developed, more money is unlikely to do anything. Ethnic tensions will not disappear with financial resources, especially when one group is favoured so much