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POL 351 Study Unit 2: Political Systems of Southeast Asia - Coggle Diagram
POL 351 Study Unit 2: Political Systems of Southeast Asia
Chapter 1: Political Systems of Southeast Asia
Background
Southeast Asia
is a term coined for the eleven countries
However, what is common is the fact that they are
all very different
and heterogeneous in terms of politics, culture, society and economy.
An interesting phenomenon in many Southeast Asian countries has been the
commendable growth and development they have undergone in the past few years
, making them subjects of interest.
The Important Terms Explained
What is a Political System?
A political system
is part of an intra-societal environment
including ecological, biological, personality, economic, cultural, and other systems, all operating in society and
bound by an extra-societal environment
which is the sphere of relations among national societies.
How the system regulates
This system, emphasising the relationship of the political system to its environment, is regulated by
“demands,” one of the two major inputs from the environment
“outputs,” the decisions made by the authorities
“support” for the system, and other major inputs; and
“feedback,” a concept which unifies the whole analysis.
Components of the system
The three basic components of the system unified by the feedback process
are
the political community
the regime, and
the authorities
Intra and extra societal
extra-societal environment
the extra-societal environment includes the political and economic
systems outside the society at an international level
, such as the United Nations, World Bank and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Intra-societal context
The intra-societal context comprises systems of
interaction which exist within society
such as cultural, economic and ecological
Inputs, conversion, outputs, feedback
inputs (demands and support)
two types of inputs in the system are demands and support
Demands
Demands are wants or
desires for
particular
value allocations
i.e.: hopes, drives, views and ideas on how values should be allocated in
society
Many of these could be taken care of by groups within society. But some of these cannot be managed by other systems and fall within the jurisdiction of the political system (I.e.: Demand for greater expenditure on defence and security)
Support
supports are ‘
actions
by individuals or groups
that indicate either favourable or unfavourable orientations
towards the political system
indicative of the extent to which people approve of any part of the political system (i.e. positive or negative support)
Output
This comes when
policies
have been
made
and
are ready to be executed
i.e. Presidential decree, parliamentary legislation
Conversion
The process of conversion
involves the valuation of demands and support
while keeping in mind the environmental variables and
decision on the allocation of values
When
demands
have been put forth to the establishment, they are
open to being tested by gatekeepers
or politically influential members of the system such as political parties, media, leaders and thinkers and interest groups.
This is the time when discussions and debates happen, and opinions may vary dividing people into groups.
These gatekeepers can influence demands
in myriad ways – encouraging acceptance, changing them or cancelling them altogether.
feedback loop
Policy decisions precipitate
outcomes which influences new demand and support
into the political system.
For example, if there have been demands to improve the healthcare system in a country and policy decisions have been taken to expand the same, there might be a chance that there is still something which is not satisfactory and that might go in as another demand.
Understanding Southeast Asia and ASEAN
Southeast Asia (A region)
Southeast Asia encompasses a group of eleven countries which are divided into maritime states and mainland states.
Many of the Southeast Asian countries came under the colonial rule, making it a common variable amongst them
SEA states are extremely diverse, making it a rich source of comparison
While some of them had moved on to become the so called ‘tiger economies,’ with economic development and largely stable regimes, others left behind are now working towards accelerated development and more political stability.
ASEAN (An international Org)
ASEAN Is an inter-governmental Organisation established in Aug 1967
Has a charter recognised by ASEAN Member states which lists rules, norms and targets for its members
Primary aims: ASEAN Declaration
Accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development
Promote peace and stability in the region
Promote collaboration in matters of common interest
Provide assistance in training and research facilities
Promote south-east Asian studies
Maintain cooperation with regional and international organisations with similar aims
Political Systems of Southeast Asia: The Tiger Cub Economies
Identifying the Tiger Cub Economies
Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand are labelled as the
tiger cub economies
of Southeast Asia because they are firmly set on the
track of development much like the so-called Asian Tigers
.
They chose to follow the same path towards development as that of the tiger economies – that is
export-oriented growth
Each one of these tiger cub economies has a
unique political system