Responsive Democracy

"Baum's book is a very significant contribution because it focuses on a part of the world that has often been neglected in studies of democratization. It focuses attention on the nuts and bolts of what we mean by democratic consolidation and responsiveness. Indeed, if more Political Science were written with this clarity, we would all enjoy reading the literature much more "
---Joseph Fewsmith, Boston University Elections are often treated as the hallmarks of democracy, yet restricting citizen participation to elections creates an "ex post" form of democracy, an "after the fact" accountability. If citizens dislike a policy, all they can do is vote its creators out of office. An "ex ante" democracy, in contrast, offers citizens the opportunity to shape policy by providing them with information, inviting their participation, and giving them a role in the oversight of government agencies or a mechanism for formal complaint. Administrative procedure acts (for example notice and comment rule making) offer one means of achieving "ex ante" democracy. But why would government leaders permit such restraints on their authority, especially in a state that has just made the transition to democracy? Using three well-chosen case studies---the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan---Jeeyang Baum documents the ways in which the extent of executive power determines the likelihood of the creation of administrative procedural reforms. In the Philippines, when the president faces opposition, he has the option of appointing and dismissing officials at whim and, therefore, has no need---or desire---for administrative procedure acts. In both South Korea and Taiwan, in contrast, presidents turn to administrative procedure acts in an effort to rein in recalcitrant government agencies. These reform acts result in increased government transparency, accountability, and responsiveness. Just as important, they improve public confidence in the democratic process. Jeeyang Rhee Baum is currently a Research Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.