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[ADRN Working Paper] Pandemic Crisis and Democratic Governance in Northeast Asia - Part II

2021-06-15

ADRN Working Paper

Pandemic Crisis and Democratic Governance in Northeast Asia
- Part II –

ADRN members from Northeast Asia

- South Korea & Japan & Mongolia –

The outbreak of COVID-19 has proven that new forms of threat can heavily affect the development of democracy as well as democratic practices. COVID-19 is not only a life-threatening issue; it is also evolving into a problem for the maintenance and promotion of democracy. In order to address this global issue, the Asia Democracy Research Network (ADRN) has been conducting research on the Pandemic Crisis and Democratic Governance based on country cases since 2020. EAI had published eleven working papers for the first part of this research project in March. This second part of the working paper is the updated version that includes any changes and updates that occurred. The first set of Part II working papers includes the cases of Northeast Asia.

Country Case 1: South Korea

South Korea’s COVID-19 Pandemic Policy Optimization between Health and Economy

Jung Kim, Assistant Professor at the University of North Korean Studies, explores the outperformance of South Korea’s COVID-19 pandemic policy trade-off between health and the economy. The author throws a question of why the national performances of the trade-off between lives and livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic have varied among nations. This study shows that social risk, rather than social capital, such as social trust or confidence in authorities, is the key factor of large-scale collective action that explains the variation in national pandemic policy performances.

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Country Case 2: Japan

The Fairness Trap: Vaccine Reservation Systems and Chaos for the Elderly in Japan

Maiko Ichihara, associate professor at Hitotsubashi University, analyzes the vaccination issue regarding the elderly society in Japan. The root of the problem diagnosed in this research is, paradoxically, the emphasis on the fairness of opportunity and not considering individual characteristics. The research shows that the problem of superficial fairness is widely ranged in human rights issues in Japan by taking instances of refugees and female politicians in Japan. The author points out that it is time for Japanese society to reconsider the approach to realize equality by taking into account the features of each vulnerable group.

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Country Case 3: Mongolia

Global Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities for Democracy in Mongolia

Ariunbayar Bazarvaani, the CEO of The Academy of Political Education, and Bumdari Dagva-Ochir, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science of the National University of Mongolia, explore the factors of the negative atmosphere among the Mongolian society that mistrusts the feasibility of government and its capacity to set appropriate recommendations on pandemic policy. The purpose of the study is to diagnose political risk management in Mongolia, identify the positive effects of quarantine on governance, and explore the interrelationship of social factors and individuals caused by counter pandemic decisions of government.

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