Rethinking Public Governance in the Asian Century: Grand Discourse Vs. Actual Reality

Abstract

In the past, comparative studies on Asia were broadly focused on Asian civilizations, politics, and cultures. However, the current surge of Asian studies is largely due to the recent rise of Asian power in the global economy, constituting almost an Asia-centric world order defined often as the “Asian Century”. For this unprecedented Asian economic progress, the unique formation of Asian public governance has allegedly played a crucial role. Such a perspective has serious implications for the field of public policy and administration in exploring the developmental role of Asian public governance and its imperatives for rethinking public governance worldwide. In exploring these concerns, this chapter unbundles the grand Asian Century debate, examines the claims made about Asia’s phenomenal economic development, and evaluates the consequences of the development model for the Asian Century.