EAST ASIA AND ITS CONTEMPORARY URBANITY.

• Author: Shimabukuro, Yumiko

Yumiko Shimabukuro is lecturer in the discipline of international and public affairs and director of the Urban and Social Policy concentration at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. The Journal of International Affairs spoke to Dr. Shimabukuro about equity, prosperity, and democracy in East Asia and its cities.

Journal of International Affairs (JIA): In the West, many people think of the urban centers of East Asia as being exemplars of prosperity and (for the most part) relative equality. How far is this from the truth, and in what ways are cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Singapore symbolic of the progress of the last 50 years, and what challenges in terms of urban poverty and inequality remain in these cities?

Prof. Yumiko Shimabukuro (YS): Is the region an exemplar of equality? Many scholars and practitioners have praised the region for its egalitarian economic development outcomes. And the major cities across East Asia have played an important role in propelling the region's impressive growth. Nonetheless, all of these Asian countries prioritize economic growth over social welfare and equity. The major cities symbolize both economic progress and social deterioration with acute inequality and persistently high relative poverty rates. The biggest policy challenge is that they do not provide a comprehensive safety net for the poor, even when they can afford it. Moreover, a good portion of the investment in human capital is funded by individual households, resulting in unequal educational and skill development outcomes. It's time to question the egalitarian thesis and put the spotlight on the tale of two cities.

JIA: Thank you, this is illuminating. How far from the truth is this "myth"?

YS: Everybody who visits these big cities in Asia is impressed with the great public infrastructure and services. But visitors don't typically ask the person who's serving coffee or processing payment at the museum ticket booth, what life is really like for them. For example, if you flip through newspaper articles you read many stories of children being maltreated in economically struggling households, degrading housing conditions, starvation deaths, and mass suicides of seniors. You really get the sense that there is an "other" truth, one that is unacceptable and needs correction.

JIA: You have been exploring the relationship between Japanese elite democracy and how that contributed to the lack of a completely funded social...