民主选举与社会分裂——东亚民主转型国家与地区的政治与政局

Democratic Elections and Social Cleavages:Democratic Transitions in East Asian States,Regional Politics and Political Outcomes

东亚民主转型国家和地区发生的社会分裂与其实行的民主制度之间存在较强的关联性。在经济发展不平衡、贫富差距大、民族国家意识淡泊及选举文化有欠成熟的情况下,参与选举的政治势力和社会群体倾向于将投票及相关活动视为扩大自身利益和削弱对方力量的机会,导致不同政治势力和社会群体之间的对立和冲突超出可控范围。

There is a high level of correlation between social cleavages in East Asian states undergoing democratic transitions and the type of democratic institutions found in such states. Where economic development is uneven, where the wealth gap is large, where national identity is weak, and where there is no mature electoral culture, political forces and social groups participating in elections trend towards viewing voting and electoral activities as opportunities to enhance personal benefits at the expense of other actors, causing contradictions and conflicts between them to spiral out of control.