Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T16:54:23.073Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

ARE THE POOR THE WEAK LINK? DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT AND INCOME LEVELS IN POST-CRISIS SOUTH KOREA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Byunghwan Son
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Extant literature on democratization documents that ordinary citizens’ unconditional support for democracy is indispensable to democratic consolidation. Yet observers of nascent democracies have repeatedly witnessed that such support often hinges upon their economic conditions. This article argues that income levels have a conditioning effect on this relationship; the Korean poor see democracy as a tool for income redistribution and are less likely than the rich to support it when economic hardships appear to close windows of opportunities for such redistribution. Using survey data from the first round of the Asian Barometer Survey on South Korea, I find strong empirical support for this argument. The implication of this finding for broader literature on democratization is that the weakening of young democracies can be attributed to the poor in times of trouble, or the “weak link.”

Keywords

democratic supportincome inequalitySouth Koreademocratizationeconomic crisis
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , July 2016 , pp. 219 - 237
Copyright
Copyright © East Asia Institute 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

ABS. Asian Barometer Survey. Available at www.asianbarometer.org/newenglish/surveys/DataRelease.htm.Google Scholar
Acemoglu, Daron and Robinson, James. 2006. Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bermeo, Nancy. 2003. Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Boix, Carles. 2003. Democracy and Redistribution. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bratton, Michael and Lewis, Peter. 2007. “The Durability of Political Goods? Evidence from Nigeria's New Democracy.” Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 45 (1): 1–33.Google Scholar
Bratton, Michael and Mattes, Robert. 2001. “Support for Democracy in Africa: Intrinsic or Instrumental?” British Journal of Political Science 31 (3): 447–474.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brender, Adi and Drazen, Alan. 2007. “Why is Economic Policy Different in Young Democracies? Affecting Attitudes Towards Democracy.” NBER Working Papers, 13457.Google Scholar
Bueno de Mesquita, Bruno, Smith, Alastair, Siverson, Randolph M., and Morrow, James. 2003. The Logic of Political Survival. New York: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Carlin, Ryan E. and Singer, Matthew M.. 2011. “Support for Polyarchy in the Americas.” Comparative Political Studies 44: 1500–1526.Google Scholar
Chang, Yu-tzung, Chu, Yun-han, and Park, Chong-Min. 2007. “Authoritarian Nostalgia in Asia.” Journal of Democracy 18: 66–80.Google Scholar
Chiburis, Richard C., Das, Jishnu and Lokshin, Michael. 2012. “A Practical Comparison of the Bivariate Probit and Linear IV Estimators.” Economics Letters 117 (3): 762–766.Google Scholar
Choi, Jaesung, and Choi, Jung-Kyun. 2007. “The Effectiveness of Poverty Reduction and the Target Efficiency of Social Security Transfers in South Korea, 1999–2003.” International Journal of Social Welfare 16 (1): 183–189.Google Scholar
Chopra, Ajai, Kang, Kenneth, Karasulu, Meral, Liang, Hong, Ma, Henry, and Richards, Anthony. 2001. “From Crisis to Recovery in Korea: Strategy, Achievements, and Lessons.” IMF Working Paper 154.Google Scholar
Chu, Yun-han and Huang, Min-hua. 2009. “A Typology Analysis of Democratic Legitimacy.” ABS Working Paper Series, No. 48.Google Scholar
Cordova, Abby and Seligson, Mitchell A.. 2010. “Economic Shocks and Democratic Vulnerabilities in Latin America and Caribbean.” Latin American Politics and Society 52 (2): 3–35.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J. 1994. “Communists and Democrats: Democratic Attitudes in the Two Germanies.” British Journal of Political Science 24 (4): 469–493.Google Scholar
Diamond, Larry. 2008. The Spirit of Democracy. New York: Times Books.Google Scholar
EAB. 2003. East Asian Barometer Survey 2003. Available at www.jdsurvey.net/eab/EABData.jsp.Google Scholar
Eichengreen, Barry, Perkins, Dwight H., and Shin, Kwanho. 2012. From Miracle to Maturity: The Growth of the Korean Economy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Evans, Gerald and Rose, Pauline. 2007. “Support for Democracy in Malawi: Does Schooling Matter?” World Development 35 (4): 904–919.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fagerland, Morten W., Sandvik, Leiv, and Mowinckel, Petter. 2011. “Parametric Methods Outperformed Non-Parametric Methods in Comparisons of Discrete Numerical Variables.” BMC Medical Research Methodology 11 (44): 1–8. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-11-44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fiorina, Morris P. 1981. Retrospective Voting in American National Elections. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Goldstone, Jack A., Bates, Robert H., Epstein, David H., Gurr, Ted Robert, Lustik, Michael B., Marshall, Monty G., Ulfelder, Jay, and Woodward, Mark. 2010. “A Global Model for Forecasting Political Instability.” American Journal of Political Science 54 (1): 190–208.Google Scholar
Graham, Carol and Sukhtankar, Sandip. 2004. “Does Economic Crisis Reduce Support for Markets and Democracy in Latin America? Some Evidence from Surveys of Public Opinion and Well Being.” Journal of Latin American Studies 36 (2): 349–377.Google Scholar
Ha, Yong-Chool and Lee, Wang Hwi. 2007. “The Politics of Economic Reform in South Korea: Crony Capitalism after Ten Years.” Asian Survey 47 (6): 894–914.Google Scholar
Haggard, Stephan and Kaufman, Robert R.. 2012. “Inequality and Regime Change: Democratic Transitions and the Stability of Democratic Rule.” American Political Science Review 106: 495–516.Google Scholar
Haggard, Stephan and Kaufman, Robert R.. 2016. “Democratization during the Third Wave.” Annual Review of Political Science. Forthcoming.Google Scholar
Haggard, Stephan and Mo, Jongryn. 2000. “The Political Economy of the Korean Financial Crisis.” Review of International Political Economy 7: 197–218.Google Scholar
Hahm, Chaibong. 2008. “South Korea's Miraculous Democracy.” Journal of Democracy 19 (3): 128–142.Google Scholar
Halac, Marina and Schmukler, Sergio L.. 2004. “Distributional Effects of Crises the Financial Channel.” Economia 5: 1–67.Google Scholar
Heckman, James J. 1978. “Dummy Endogenous Variables in a Simultaneous Equation System.” Econometrica 46 (6): 931–959.Google Scholar
Hibbs, Douglas. 1993. Solidarity or Egoism: The Economics of Sociotropic and Egocentric Influence on Political Behavior: Denmark in International and Theoretical Perspectives. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.Google Scholar
Houle, Christian. 2009. “Inequality and Democracy: Why Inequality Harms Consolidation but Does Not Affect Democratization.” World Politics 61 (4): 589–622.Google Scholar
Huntington, Samuel P. 1968. Political Orders in Changing Societies. New York: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Huntington, Samuel P. 1991. The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. Norman: Oklahoma University Press.Google Scholar
Inglehart, Ronald and Welzel, Christian. 2005. Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy: the Human Development Sequence. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Iyengar, Shanto. 1989. “How Citizens Think About National Issues: A Matter of Responsibility.” American Journal of Political Science 33 (4): 878–900.Google Scholar
Jamal, Amaney and Nooruddin, Irfan. 2010. “The Democratic Utility of Trust: A Cross-National Analysis.” Journal of Politics 72 (1): 45–59.Google Scholar
Jhee, Byong-Keun. 2008. “Economic Origins of Electoral Support for Authoritarian Successors: A Cross-National Analysis of Economic Voting in New Democracies.” Comparative Political Studies 41 (3): 362–388.Google Scholar
Kalinowski, Thomas. 2007. “Democracy, Economic Crisis, and Market Oriented Reforms.” Comparative Sociology 6 (3): 344–373.Google Scholar
Kang, WooJin. 2015. “Inequality, the Welfare System and Satisfaction with Democracy in South Korea.” International Political Science Review 36 (5): 493–509.Google Scholar
Kapstein, Ethan B. and Converse, Nathan. 2008. The Fate of Young Democracies. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kim, Sunhyuk. 2000a. “The Political Origins of South Korea's Economic Crisis: Is Democratization to Blame?” Democratization 7 (4): 81–103.Google Scholar
Kim, Sunhyuk. 2000b. The Politics of Democratization in Korea: the Role of Civil Society. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.Google Scholar
Kotzian, Peter. 2011. “Public Support for Liberal Democracy.” International Political Science Review 32 (1): 23–41.Google Scholar
Krieckhaus, Jonathan, Son, Byunghwan, Bellinger, Nisha, and Wells, Jason. 2014. “Income Inequality and Democratic Support.” Journal of Politics 76 (1): 139–151.Google Scholar
Lai, Jikon. 2012. Financial Crisis and Institutional Change in East Asia. London: Palgrave.Google Scholar
Lee, Jaechul. 2008. “Path toward Democracy in South Korea: Social Capital and Democracy Embedded in the Citizens.” Asian Survey 48 (4): 580–602.Google Scholar
Lee, Sook Jong. 2005. “Democratization and Polarization in Korean Society.” Asian Perspective 29 (3): 99–125.Google Scholar
Lett, Denise Potrzeba. 1998. In Pursuit of Status: The Making of South Korea's “New” Urban Middle Class. New York. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Lewis-Beck, Michael. 1986. “Comparative Economic Voting: Britain, France, Germany, Italy.” American Journal of Political Science 30 (2): 315–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linz, Juan J. and Stepan, Alfred C.. 1996. Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation. New York: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Lipset, Seymour M. 1959. “Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Democracy and Political Legitimacy.” American Political Science Review 53 (1): 69–105.Google Scholar
Lynch, John W., Kaplan, George, and Shema, Sarah J.. 1997. “Cumulative Impact of Sustained Economic Hardship on Physical, Cognitive, Psychological, and Social Functioning.” New England Journal of Medicine 337: 1889–1895.Google Scholar
MacKuen, Michael B., Erikson, Robert S., and Stimson, James A.. 1992. “Peasants or Bankers? The American Electorate and the U.S. Economy.” American Political Science Review 86 (3): 597–611.Google Scholar
Mishler, William and Rose, Richard. 2007. “Generation, Age, and Time: The Dynamics of Political Learning during Russia's Transformation.” American Journal of Political Science 51 (4): 822–834.Google Scholar
Nadeau, Richard, Lewis-Beck, Michael S., and Belanger, Eric. 2013. “Economics and Elections Revisited.” Comparative Political Studies 46 (5): 551–573.Google Scholar
Neundorf, Anja. 2010. “Democracy in Transition: A Micro Perspective on System Change in Post-Socialist Societies.” Journal of Politics 72 (4): 1096–1108.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa. 2011. Democratic Deficit: Critical Citizens Revisited. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
O'Donnell, Guillermo A. 1973. Modernization and Bureaucratic Authoritarianism: Studies in South American Politics. Berkeley: Institute of International Studies, University of California.Google Scholar
OECD. 2011. Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising. Brussels: OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
Park, Chong-Min. 2004. “Support for Democracy in Korea: Its Trends and Determinants.” ABS Working Paper Series, No. 20.Google Scholar
Park, Chong-Min and Shin, Doh Chull. 2004. “Do Asian Values Deter Popular Support for Democracy? The Case of South Korea.” ABS Working Paper Series, No. 26.Google Scholar
Park, Chong-Min and Shin, Doh Chull. 2006. “Popular Support for Democracy and its Institutions in Korea: The Dynamics and Sources of Regime Support and Institutional Trust.” International Review of Sociology 16 (3): 665–681.Google Scholar
Przeworski, Adam. 1991. Democracy and the Market. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Przeworski, Adam. 2005. “Democracy as an Equilibrium.” Public Choice 123: 253–273.Google Scholar
Przeworski, Adam, Alvarez, Michael E., Cheibub, Jose Antonio and Limongi, Fernando. 2000. Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Well-Being in the World, 1950–1990. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Reenock, Christopher, Bernhard, Michael, and Sobeck, David. 2007. “Regressive Socioeconomic Distribution and Democratic Survival.” International Studies Quarterly 51 (3): 677–699.Google Scholar
Rose, Richard, Mishler, William, and Haerpfer, Christian. 1998. Democracy and its Alternatives: Understanding Post-Communist Societies. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Shin, Doh Chull and Lee, Jae Chul. 2006. “The Korea Democracy Barometer Surveys: Unraveling the Cultural and Institutional Dynamics of Democratization, 1997–2004.” Korea Observer 37 (2): 237–276.Google Scholar
Shin, Doh Chull and Tusalem, Rollin F.. 2007. “The Cultural and Institutional Dynamics of Global Democratization: a Synthesis of Mass Experience and Congruence Theory.” Taiwan Journal of Democracy 3 (1): 1–28.Google Scholar
Solt, Frederick. 2012. “The Social Origins of Authoritarianism,” Political Research Quarterly 65 (4): 703–713.Google Scholar
Welzel, Christian, and Inglehart, Ronald. 2005. “Liberalism, Postmaterialism, and the Growth of Freedom.” International Review of Sociology 15 (1): 81–108.Google Scholar
Woo, Meredith Jung-en. 2007. “A Century After the Unparalleled Invasion: East Asia After the Crisis.” in Ten Years After: Revisiting the Asian Financial Crisis, ed. Muchhala, Bhumika. Washington DC: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.Google Scholar
Yap, O. Fiona. 2013. “Consolidating Democracy in Korea: Economy as Impetus, Corruption as Issue.” Korea Observer 44 (4): 517–544.Google Scholar