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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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 Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:10 pm Post subject: Confucianism + Capitalism = Economic Development? |
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Development banks, think tanks and other researchers have increasingly compared reforms in East and Southeast Asia with Latin America, almost always noting the far greater successes of the former. But few of these studies ask the basic question, �Why?�
The discrepancy between the regions is particularly clear in education, where international testing finds Asia�s tigers and dragons consistently at or near the top and those few Latin countries that dare to participate just as consistently near or at the bottom.
An excellent new book on universities in Asia and Latin America entitled �World Class Worldwide� (Johns Hopkins Press) clearly shows that South Korea and China are not only making far greater progress in higher education reform than Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina, but that despite its current emergence India�s challenges are often more like those of Latin America than East Asia.
A 2007 World Bank study reported that between 1960 and the early 2000s the percentage of adults who completed high school in Latin America increased from 7% to 18% while in East Asia the increase during that period was from 11% to 44%. A key conclusion of a 2006 World Bank study of secondary education in the two areas was that �education systems can address both quality and access issues from early on [as in South Korea] if good education is highly valued by the state and families alike.� Yes, as it is in Korea and China, but not, with the same commitment, in India or Latin America. Why?
Above all it is the legacy of traditional cultures. The seeming secret ingredient in all Asian states that most excel today in education and development generally is Confucian tradition. The profound, lingering, largely positive legacy of Confucian culture is not always consciously present, but it is there among leaders and people and guides goals and actions in ways that are rarely equaled in Latin America or India. Key aspects are the belief that: (1) education is the expressway to success; (2) goals should be far higher than mere survival and pursued with single-minded diligence and a relentless work ethic; (3) merit should be sought and rewarded; and (4) frugality and focus must guide the expenditure of funds and energies.
Traditionally Confucianism had profound limitations, but the above qualities applied in current conditions have been remarkably successful. While critiquing culture is a touchy business, serious analysts should understand and frankly state that traditional beliefs and practices can have a critical positive or negative impact on reform.
We all see it daily, whether we realize it or not, when teaching, conducting business or comparing reform in these two areas.
Mr. Ratliff is a fellow at Stanford University�s Hoover Institution and author of �Doing it Wrong and Doing it Right: Education in Latin America and Asia� ( Hoover Institution Press, 2003). |
http://www.feer.com/forum/?p=75 |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:25 am Post subject: |
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| Possibly something to that. Though I'd be curious to know if the author has any stats on how widespread things like cheating and grade inflation are in the respective university systems of these countries. My understanding, from talking to Korean university students and graduates, is that cheating is epidemic in higher education over here. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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| The profound, lingering, largely positive legacy of Confucian culture |
I question the 'largely positive' evaluation. While it's certainly true about education, I'm not so sure its influence on matters in respect to age and gender is all that positive. Neither was President Kim Dae-Jung. He tried to eradicate it. |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Presumably this thread will at some point give rise to some discussion of Korea's "friendly" fascism. |
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Gwangjuboy
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England
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| Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Confucianism stifles creativity. I see the effects of confucianism everyday at my public school and they are overwhelmingly negative. I speak Korean so they find a place for me on the heirarchy; at the bottom. I would much prefer to be out of the loop but unfortunately I have to labour under such a backward system. Politely reminding an older teacher that it's payday is considered rude. Absolutely backward. Korea's economic success has little to do with it either. Undoubtedly its relationship with the US was the decisive factor in its economic success. The public sector is the last bastion of confucianism here but before Korea industrialised confucianism was a lot more far reaching. If confucianism leads to economic success why was Korea a poor country when confucianism was far more influential? I don't buy anything that is written in that article. For a start, the author is comparing confucianist countries to Latin America; traditionally, hardly an economic powerhouse anyway. You may as well compare it to black Africa. |
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ella
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 6:46 am Post subject: |
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| largely positive legacy of Confucian culture |
Bwahahahahahaha... |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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| On the other hand wrote: |
| Possibly something to that. |
I'm reading an old book on the Qing Dynasty and 'Modern China' (book published in 1970). I think Neo-Confucianism was instrumental in establishing a meritocratic society in China and Korea.
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Though stratified, the society was egalitarian in that there was no caste system.... [In Qing China] there was in fact considerable movement up and down among the different social groups: powerful or high status families could fall because of incompetent offspring, while men of humble circumstances rose thru their successes in the open competititve gov't examinations and in receiving official appointments.
More than anything else, individual merit based on literary excellence, as evidenced by the successful passing of the examinations, formed the basis of recognition. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:42 am Post subject: |
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I think Neo-Confucianism was instrumental in establishing a meritocratic society in China and Korea.
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But did the meritocracy extend to slaves? From my reading, I got the impression that government positions were only really open to the yangban class. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 8:07 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
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I think Neo-Confucianism was instrumental in establishing a meritocratic society in China and Korea.
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But did the meritocracy extend to slaves? From my reading, I got the impression that government positions were only really open to the yangban class. |
As in the US and Korea today, wealth allows parents to invest more in their children's education. So there's always an advantage to those coming from wealth. In addition, fathers who passed the civil examinations seem to have been better able to prepare their children for it. Although, in Qing China, it seems also that the lower gentry (those who passed district examinations but failed at the provincial level) were expected to teach within their district.
You're right about Korea's yangban. At first, entrance examinations were fairly egalitarian, but according to Wiki it did not take long to corrupt.
| Wiki wrote: |
The yangban were in fact modelled on the Ming dynasty Chinese bureaucrats which helped Korea proceed towards their golden age of scholarship and civilisation.
One could become a yangban by taking the civil service exams, the results of which determined placement into high ranking civil positions. In practice, however, often only the wealthy and the connected had the measures to sustain themselves while they studied for the exams. In the late Joseon Dynasty, tests were rigged to favor those from wealthy families and the sons of yangban. |
Under the Qing, Chinese integrity in the examination systems held out longer. This is possibly because of Emperor Kang-xi's and Qianlong's relative virtues. While neither was brilliant, both were studious, hard-working Emperors who sought to relieve the farmers' burdens from time to time. By the 19th Century, palace eunuchs began to really run the show, and then all integrity had faded. |
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