Inequality and Democratic Politics in East Asia (Politics in Asia)

By: Eric M. Uslaner and Chong-Min Park

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Synopsis: Bringing together scholars of inequality, both inside and outside of Asia, this book examines how the distribution of income has affected political institutions, representation, and behaviour in Asia. Through detailed data analysis, the international team of contributors engages with the existing literature, arguing that the connection between inequality and political institutions is much more complex than has been suggested by previous case studies from outside the region. Instead, this book demonstrates that the micro-level evidence for the correlation between inequality and democracy is mixed and the impact of distributive politics is conditioned not only by institutional but also historical and geopolitical factors. As such, this volume suggests that the median voter theorem and simplified partisan models prove to be ineffectual in accounting for distributive politics in East Asia. Analysing history, structure and context to further understand the politics of inequality in East Asia, this book will be invaluable to students of Asian Politics, as well as inequality, democracy and political economy more widely.