Is liberal democracy appropriate for East Asia? In this provocative book, Daniel Bell argues for morally legitimate alternatives to Western-style liberal democracy in the region. Beyond Liberal Democracy, which continues the author's influential earlier work, is divided into three parts that correspond to the three main hallmarks of liberal democracy--human rights, democracy, and capitalism. These features have been modified substantially during their transmission to East Asian societies that have been shaped by nonliberal practices and values. Bell points to the dangers of implementing Western-style models and proposes alternative justifications and practices that may be more appropriate for East Asian societies.
If human rights, democracy, and capitalism are to take root and produce beneficial outcomes in East Asia, Bell argues, they must be adjusted to contemporary East Asian political and economic realities and to the values of nonliberal East Asian political traditions such as Confucianism and Legalism. Local knowledge is therefore essential for realistic and morally informed contributions to debates on political reform in the region, as well as for mutual learning and enrichment of political theories.
Beyond Liberal Democracy is indispensable reading for students and scholars of political theory, Asian studies, and human rights, as well as anyone concerned about China's political and economic future and how Western governments and organizations should engage with China.
Industry Reviews
"For the past decade or so Daniel Bell has been a leading voice in the international discourse on democracy and human rights in the East Asian context, with his distinctive blend of intellectual inclusiveness, principled realism, and a sure-footed local knowledge that is at once respectful and frankly critical. In this thought-provoking new book, he carries further his culturally sensitive approach to political theorizing, an approach that allows him to move fruitfully between abstract normative reasoning and highly concrete discussion of issues of rights, political participation, and good governance. Those readers who are familiar with Bell's previous work will find here a yet deeper mining of East Asian philosophical resources-especially though not exclusively the Confucian tradition-for normatively attractive proposals that are realistic in and sensitive to contemporary local contexts, as well as an even more wide-ranging engagement with the complex East Asian realities of human rights, democracy, and economic development."-Ci Jiwei, University of Hong Kong
