In the past twenty five years the four "Little Dragons" of East Asia-Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong-have achieved notable economic success. Economic development in other East Asian countries has also been relatively good by prevailing world standards. What are the political factors behind this economic success in East Asia? Modernization theory, cultural theory, and dependency theory, which purport to answer this question, are first discussed. This is followed by an analysis of the historically specific structures of state power and social forces in different East Asian countries. Requirements: two short papers and a final exam. No prerequisites. Open to first-year students with advanced placement credit in Comparative Politics.
CRANE