Pluralism, Corporatism, and Confucianism: Political Association and Conflict Regulation in the United States, Europe, and Taiwan

In this comparison of the role of interest groups in three different political settings, Harmon Zeigler addresses two main questions: Why do people join organizations? and, Does it matter how a government regulates conflict? In confronting these questions, he describes and contrasts the characteristics of pluralism in the United States, societal corporatism in Europe, and state corporatism, or authoritarianism, in Taiwan. The first book to compare such disparate cultures, "Pluralism, Corporatism, and Confucianism" examines the motivations for group membership and the functions of "encompassing" organizations. While it is generally accepted that the form of government is not the major contributor to the shape or content of policy, Zeigler suggests that there are substantial differences between individualist and collectivist societies.Because Taiwan is a "soft authoritarian" government in its mode of interest group regulation he sees it as lending itself to comparison, as an example of state corporatism, with societal corporatism of Europe. The influence of Confucianism, a secular religion that considers conflict unnatural, is evident in most Asian governments. While "Confucian" countries may vary substantially in their mode of conflict resolution, they usually adhere to the basic ethical principles of Confucius: groups are more important than individuals, and society should be organized hierarchically. In his discussion of Asian corporatism, Zeigler takes note of the recent upheavals in South Korea. Author note: Harmon Zeigler is Philip M. Phibbs Distinguished Professor of American Politics at the University of Puget Sound and Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington.