Concepts: The Developmental State

Reading Response # 1: Concepts: The Developmental State Johnson presents some positive aspects of the developmental state model of (soft or hard) authoritarianism that are morally troubling because they are appealing in so many ways. It is hard to oppose growth that has solved so many problems that plague developing nations: growth with redistribution is more or less achieved; in Japan, the standard of living has considerably improved; success has brought legitimacy to controlling bureaucracies; and most …

…relationship with the international economy left them unprepared for such an event? Did the crisis contribute to the change in perception that has led to Japanese attempts to actively exert international influence especially in South-East Asia, for example, under the auspices of the Asian Monetary Fund? This certainly shows a change from the image that Hein claims the Japanese held of themselves as targets or subjects of a global system beyond their reach of influence.