Perceived Threats and Governing Capacity
Building National Identities in Post-Colonial Singapore and Macao
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12837359 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bill K P Chou (University of Macau, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 147-166 |
| Publication date | 2014-05-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African and Asian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1569-2094 • E-ISSN: 1569-2108 |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/15692108-12341289 |
| OpenAlex | W55355472 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
Many of the past literature on small states focus on the foreign policies and political economies of liberal democracies. This paper examines the non-liberal democracies of Singapore and Macao in their construction of national identities. Non-liberal democracies are different from their democratic counterparts in their reactions to perceived threats. Instead of forming a corporatist system to make important decisions by consensus, both Singapore and Macao leadership exclude the participation of civil society in defining their national identities. Faced with high perceived threats and armed with strong governing capacity, Singapore succeeds in building a national identity overarching the cultural identities of major ethnic groups. In view of electoral setbacks, Singapore leaders have to include more public inputs into its policy making process, including the definition of national identity. On the contrary, the perceived threats of Macao are not pressing. The cultural and political affinity enables the post-colonial Macao to integrate smoothly with China’s national identities defined by the Communist leadership. The relative weak capacity of the city government makes the building of national identities gradual. Its high degree of ethnic homogeneity has contributed to a process of nation building relatively free of disputes
China · Civil society · Communism · Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Ethnic group · Government (linguistics · Liberal democracy · Multiculturalism · Nation-building · National identity · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Economic Zones and Regional Development · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law · Public Administration · Socioeconomic Development in Asia
Personal Identity, National Identity and International Relations
The Politics of Urban Governance
The Diplomacies of Small States
Why Is the Common Law Efficient?
The Common Law and Economic Growth
Small States in World Markets
Economic Adjustment and Political Transformation in Small States
Macau in Transition
Small States and Small States Revisited
Urban Regimes and the Capacity to Govern
Small States, Small Problems? Income, Growth, and Volatility in Small States
The special problems of small countries
Public housing and ethnic integration in Singapore
The governance of urban regeneration
Muslims in Singapore
Governance Without Government? Rethinking Public Administration
The construction of national identity through the production of ritual and spectacle
Imagined Communities. Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |