Perspectives on Political Order

What kind of a political order best ensures people's development and welfare? Obviously, a political order that has a good government based on benign and healthy principles, not only as its constitutive element, but also as its operational dimension. It is only such a political order that is capable of regulating and disciplining public life and relations, and preventing politicians and bureaucrats from sliding into corruption. The question of good government thus impinges not only on...
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What kind of a political order best ensures people's development and welfare? Obviously, a political order that has a good government based on benign and healthy principles, not only as its constitutive element, but also as its operational dimension. It is only such a political order that is capable of regulating and disciplining public life and relations, and preventing politicians and bureaucrats from sliding into corruption. The question of good government thus impinges not only on the opportunities people have for proper development and securing their well-being, but also on the issue of precluding the possibility of the government turning arbitrary, exploitative, and tyrannous. In other words, it is inextricably linked with the kind of political order that aims to maintain a well-ordered social universe. Without such an order, good government becomes a matter of accident, and can easily fall prey to transient whims and shifting fashions. Perspectives on Political Order: East and West takes this question for a critical discussion and identifies three different genres of political order: liberal, Platonic, and Vedic. The Chinese idea of order is also included for further clarification. Thought-provoking and comprehensive, this book will attract a vast political science readership, including students, academics, activists, and politicians.