Whither East Asian citizenship?

Any discussion of citizenship will have to consider the relationships – and especially the changing relationships – between the state, the market, and civil society. Citizenship as an institution sits at the crossroads where these three components intersect. Consequently the idea of citizenship is central to any political theory about rights, participation, and identity. It is appropriate to argue at the outset that, while civil society is the real foundation of both citizenship and democracy, the market has in recent decades become more influential in shaping the character of citizenship. Of course, citizenship comes in many forms, but in this commentary we shall identify three basic types that conveniently map onto state, civil society, and market.