Is liberal democracy appropriate for East Asia? This book argues for morally legitimate alternatives to Western-style liberal democracy in the region. It is divided into three parts that correspond to the three main hallmarks of liberal democracy - human rights, democracy, and capitalism.

Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1: Introduction: One Size Doesn't Fit All 1 The Uniquely Parochial Development of Liberal Democracy 4 Human Rights for an East Asian Context 9 Democracy for an East Asian Context 11 Capitalism for an East Asian Context 14 A Note on the Culturally Sensitive Approach to Political Theorizing 17 Part One: Human Rights for an East Asian Context Chapter 2: Just War and Confucianism: Implications for the Contemporary World 23 The Ideal World versus the Nonideal World 24 General Confucian Principles of Good Government 31 Mencius on Just and Unjust War 35 Implications for Contemporary Societies 40 Chapter 3: Human Rights and "Values in Asia": Reflections on East-West Dialogues 52 Trade-offs and Priorities 55 Asian Justifications for Human Rights 62 Values in Asia versus Western Liberalism: Justifiable Moral Differences? 72 Cross-Cultural Dialogues on Human Rights: What Is the Point? 78 Chapter 4: The Ethical Challenges of International Human Rights NGOs: Reflections on Dialogues between Practitioners and Theorists 84 The Challenge of Cultural Conflict 87 The Challenge of Dealing with Global Poverty 92 The Challenge of Dealing with States That Restrict the Activities of INGOs 103 The Challenge of Fund-Raising 107 Implications for INGOs in East Asia 111 Part Two: Democracy for an East Asian Context Chapter 5: What's Wrong with Active Citizenship? A Comparison of Physical Education in Ancient Greece and Ancient China 121 Two Ancient Civilizations 123 Why Compare State-Sponsored Physical Education in the Two Ancient Civilizations? 132 Political Competition and Sports Competition 134 Commercial Societies, Leisure Time, and the Pursuit of Physical Excellence 143 Implications for Contemporary East Asian Societies 146 Chapter 6: Taking Elitism Seriously: Democracy with Confucian Characteristics 152 Political Elitism and Democracy: Two Important Values 153 Institutionalizing Confucian Democracy 162 Chapter 7: Is Democracy the "Least Bad" System for Minority Groups? 180 Some Definitions 185 Democracy and Nation Building 190 Implications for Outside Prodemocracy Forces 202 Chapter 8: Democratic Education in a Multicultural Context: Lessons from Singapore 206 Singapore's Political History 207 Racism in the Classroom? 211 Inclusive Multiculturalism 215 Beyond Singapore? 218 Part Three: Capitalism for an East Asian Context Chapter 9: Culture and Egalitarian Development: Confucian Constraints on Property Rights 231 On the Selection of Feasible and Desirable Confucian Values for Modern Societies 234 The Overriding Value of Material Welfare 237 The Value of Care for Needy Family Members 243 Exporting Confucianism? 251 Chapter 10: East Asian Capitalism for an Age of Globalization 255 East Asian Capitalism and Economic Productivity 259 East Asian Capitalism and Social Welfare 271 Implications for Public Policy 278 Chapter 11: Justice for Migrant Workers? The Case of Migrant Domestic Workers in East Asia 281 The Political Concerns of Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong and Singapore 283 Should Foreign Domestic Workers Be Given Equal Rights? 290 The Role of Culture 305 Migrant Domestic Workers in Mainland China 313 Chapter 12: Responses to Critics: The Real and the Ideal 323 Selected Bibliography 343 Index 369

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 "Beyond Liberal Democracy is an intensely personal engagement with the author's experiences of Western liberal political ideas in an Asian context... Mr. Bell ... is a provocative thinker. He is also refreshingly candid... [T]he result is an important contribution to the debate about liberal democracy in Asia."--David Plott, Far Eastern Economic Review "This work is a culmination of at least a decade of thinking and writing by a scholar who has observed closely the many intellectually significant issues that have arisen from political development in East Asian societies... [T]he elegant narrative form in which Beyond Liberal Democracy is written makes for an interesting and timely piece of scholarship that should attract a wide readership."--Surain Subramaniam, Contemporary Southeast Asia "In this engaging, provocative exploration of the intersection between East Asian values and Western liberalism, Bell challenges readers to take seriously the unique contributions of Confucianism and other Eastern traditions to 21st-century political theory and practice... This book is an important contribution to the East-West dialogues of political theorists, activists, and politicians, and sets a high standard for subsequent forays into this field."--Choice

"This book is a lively and insightful contribution to what will be a major debate of the twenty-first century: how profound differences of culture and value will give a different shape to the core institutions of modernity in different civilizations. Drawing on both philosophical analysis and wide empirical knowledge, Daniel Bell examines the continuing importance of Confucianism in East Asia, and its relevance for democracy, human rights, and capitalism. What's more, as a normative theorist, he goes beyond this to argue for the legitimacy of some persistent differences. This engaging and well-written book will provoke much-needed controversy in our overly complacent Western societies."—Charles Taylor, author of Multiculturalism and Sources of the Self"Daniel Bell's Beyond Liberal Democracy challenges the prevailing idea in Western liberal political theory that liberal democracy is a universal value. By comparing East Asian and Western perspectives on issues such as human rights, democracy, and capitalism, Bell forcefully demonstrates that East Asian political traditions contain morally legitimate alternatives to Western-style liberal democracy. He demonstrates a rare knowledge of both Western and Eastern political philosophies. Bell's work will help Western political scientists understand the contribution of East Asian cultures to political theory. But equally it will help East Asian scholars understand their own political tradition through a comparative perspective."—Li Qiang, Peking University"For over a decade, Daniel Bell has been probing the meaning and feasibility of 'democracy,' 'human rights,' and 'capitalism' in an East Asian setting. Beyond Liberal Democracy pulls many of these strands together in a stimulating, readable, and often humorous fashion. This book is a must for anyone involved with or concerned about China and the other important countries marked by Confucian political-legal culture. It's a friendly, engaging conversation."—Jerome A. Cohen, New York University and the Council on Foreign Relations"For the past decade or so Daniel Bell has been a leading voice in the international discourse on democracy and human rights in the East Asian context, with his distinctive blend of intellectual inclusiveness, principled realism, and a sure-footed local knowledge that is at once respectful and frankly critical. In this thought-provoking new book, he carries further his culturally sensitive approach to political theorizing, an approach that allows him to move fruitfully between abstract normative reasoning and highly concrete discussion of issues of rights, political participation, and good governance. Those readers who are familiar with Bell's previous work will find here a yet deeper mining of East Asian philosophical resources—especially though not exclusively the Confucian tradition—for normatively attractive proposals that are realistic in and sensitive to contemporary local contexts, as well as an even more wide-ranging engagement with the complex East Asian realities of human rights, democracy, and economic development."—Ci Jiwei, University of Hong Kong"Daniel Bell is one of the world's very few political theorists with the necessary competence to write on the subject addressed in Beyond Liberal Democracy. His writing style is very stimulating, clear, and accessible; his arguments are carefully constructed, thought-provoking, and original. This book will appeal not only to scholars in political theory and political philosophy, political science, human rights, and Asian studies, but also to general readers."—Joseph Chan, The University of Hong Kong"Well written, interesting, and sometimes provocative, Beyond Liberal Democracy splendidly complements Bell's earlier work on democracy in an East Asian context. Anyone interested in an 'Asian values' debate would do well to look first to what Bell has to say. This book's reach is even broader, however, since it also offers many new insights into the assumptions of liberal democracy."—Jeff Spinner-Halev, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

This book is a lively and insightful contribution to what will be a major debate of the twenty-first century: how profound differences of culture and value will give a different shape to the core institutions of modernity in different civilizations. Drawing on both philosophical analysis and wide empirical knowledge, Daniel Bell examines the continuing importance of Confucianism in East Asia, and its relevance for democracy, human rights, and capitalism. What's more, as a normative theorist, he goes beyond this to argue for the legitimacy of some persistent differences. This engaging and well-written book will provoke much-needed controversy in our overly complacent Western societies. -- Charles Taylor, author of "Multiculturalism and Sources of the Self" Daniel Bell's Beyond Liberal Democracy challenges the prevailing idea in Western liberal political theory that liberal democracy is a universal value. By comparing East Asian and Western perspectives on issues such as human rights, democracy, and capitalism, Bell forcefully demonstrates that East Asian political traditions contain morally legitimate alternatives to Western-style liberal democracy. He demonstrates a rare knowledge of both Western and Eastern political philosophies. Bell's work will help Western political scientists understand the contribution of East Asian cultures to political theory. But equally it will help East Asian scholars understand their own political tradition through a comparative perspective. -- Li Qiang, Peking University For over a decade, Daniel Bell has been probing the meaning and feasibility of 'democracy,' 'human rights,' and 'capitalism' in an East Asian setting. Beyond Liberal Democracy pulls many of these strands together in a stimulating, readable, and often humorous fashion. This book is a must for anyone involved with or concerned about China and the other important countries marked by Confucian political-legal culture. It's a friendly, engaging conversation. -- Jerome A. Cohen, New York University and the Council on Foreign Relations For the past decade or so Daniel Bell has been a leading voice in the international discourse on democracy and human rights in the East Asian context, with his distinctive blend of intellectual inclusiveness, principled realism, and a sure-footed local knowledge that is at once respectful and frankly critical. In this thought-provoking new book, he carries further his culturally sensitive approach to political theorizing, an approach that allows him to move fruitfully between abstract normative reasoning and highly concrete discussion of issues of rights, political participation, and good governance. Those readers who are familiar with Bell's previous work will find here a yet deeper mining of East Asian philosophical resources--especially though not exclusively the Confucian tradition--for normatively attractive proposals that are realistic in and sensitive to contemporary local contexts, as well as an even more wide-ranging engagement with the complex East Asian realities of human rights, democracy, and economic development. -- Ci Jiwei, University of Hong Kong Daniel Bell is one of the world's very few political theorists with the necessary competence to write on the subject addressed in Beyond Liberal Democracy. His writing style is very stimulating, clear, and accessible; his arguments are carefully constructed, thought-provoking, and original. This book will appeal not only to scholars in political theory and political philosophy, political science, human rights, and Asian studies, but also to general readers. -- Joseph Chan, The University of Hong Kong Well written, interesting, and sometimes provocative, Beyond Liberal Democracy splendidly complements Bell's earlier work on democracy in an East Asian context. Anyone interested in an 'Asian values' debate would do well to look first to what Bell has to say. This book's reach is even broader, however, since it also offers many new insights into the assumptions of liberal democracy. -- Jeff Spinner-Halev, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill