Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 44

Economics - Essay Example The other factor to be considered is the supply- demand aspect. The firm should be able to focus majorly on what the market. The market should be able to determine the amount of products being offered. The supply to the market should be in line with the demand in that production increases with an increase in demand and a decrease in demand should reduce the production. This should be done with little interference to the core agenda of profit maximization. While finding equilibrium between the supply and demand factors of production which include labour and capital should be considered as well. The internal factors should integrate well with external factors in ensuring that an informed decision is made. The strategies involved should satisfy the internal market while aiming at benefiting from the diseconomies of scale. A lower cost per unit will be achieved by increasing the size of the firm. The government carry out fiscal policy with an effort of sustaining the economy. The efforts by the government are to ensure increased aggregate demand. The policies by the government include government borrowing. In some instances the government decides in borrowing from the private sector. The result is reduced power to spend by the manufacturing firms as the available funds focuses more on ensuring a balanced in their profit making goals and reduced expenditure. The government on the other hand borrows from the sector to reduce the government deficit. The result of borrowing from the sector is reduces the spending power of the firms. The firm should critically analyse the government decisions to borrow from them as a means of increasing the aggregate demand (Grossman & Hart, 1986). The firm should consider its internal goals before falling victim to government policies. The firms should decide on which policies are to be adopted and which are to be ignored. Adjusting to these pol icies may assist the firm operate at

Conquering the Incas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Conquering the Incas - Essay Example The History of the Aztecs The civilization that has come to be known as the â€Å"Aztecs† was by no means made up of one, solitary culture. It was first made up of migratory barbarians, called â€Å"the last of the Nahautal-speaking cultures†, that wandered the area from the great migration out of the northern city of Tula, late in the twelfth century2. It is believed that the Aztec originally migrated from the island of Aztlan, which would come to be substantiated by their name, Aztec, meaning â€Å"people of Aztlan†3. Furthermore, they did not call themselves â€Å"Aztecs†, but â€Å"Mexica†, or â€Å"Colhua-Mexica†, in keeping with their lineage4. The Mexica people, or the Aztecs as they are now known, held no friends among their neighbors. Shunned largely because they were not a polite, civilized tribe, but made up of vicious barbarians willing to do whatever it took to survive, they migrated towards the Valley of Mexico and lived on the fringes of society, as they were the last of the peoples to settle in the area and by no means welcomed to it5. It was on the islands of Lake Texcoco in 1345, surrounded by marsh conditions, that they found refuge6. Unfortunately, they had not picked a desirable spot in which to settle. The land itself was fine, and suitable for their pursuits; this was hardly the problem. The issue lay in the fact that they were distinctly in the middle of two kingdoms, Azcapotzalco and Texcoco7. Though the first three kings of the Aztecs ruled as vassals for the despot king of Azcapotzalco, it was in the year 1426, when Itzcoatl, a direct descendent of the first Aztec king, ascended to the throne, the tensions between the Aztec and the Tepanec lords of Azcapotzalco reached the breaking point8. War broke out, though the Aztecs did their best to evade this, both by sending a special messenger and offering diplomatic relations9. The new king, however, possessed the gifts of leadership and speech; he gave one such speech that ignited the passions of his people and led them to war10. When all was said and done, a new alliance had been formed, the Triple Alliance between Texcoco, Tenochtitlan, and Tlacopan, which would become the heart of the Aztec Empire11. These acts set the stage for a new way of life for the Aztecs, a life as a warrior people. Though in truth the life that they were now leading had come full circle from the days of their savage barbarism when they first migrated into their lands, it is not hard to imagine the years of subjugated rule taking their toll on such a proud people. It is from Itzcoatl that Montezuma I (Montezuma the Elder), and his son, Montezuma II (Montezuma the Younger) would descend12. The younger Montezuma would meet headfirst the Spaniard contingents, headed by Hernan Cortes, and face the downfall of his empire. Hernan Cortes The man that would cause the downfall of the Aztec empire was born in 1485 in Medellin, a town that was considered †Å"an unimportant town in Estremadura†13. His parents were poor, though able to send him to university at the age of fourteen, where he was prepared for a career in law, due to the fact

Education Is Life Iself Essay Example for Free

Education Is Life Iself Essay Once John Dewey said, â€Å"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.† It is quite difficult, even impossible to contend for the statement. We should clearly understand that education is a long process which lasts for the whole life. More than that life is the best teacher we might ever have. In other words, we can denote that we live educating ourselves and educate ourselves for living. First of all, it is interesting to note that the notions â€Å"education† and â€Å"life† can be regarded as identical ones. The matter is that speaking about education we keep in mind that it is not just a period of life but a lifelong process of learning. As Albert Einstein once noticed, â€Å"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at growth.† Keeping to the point it should be also mentioned that education can be given and taken anywhere – at school, university or home. It doesn’t matter. However, there is no better teacher than life itself. Nobody can dispute it. People learn much deeper and more effectively through their own actions and mistakes. Life motivates, directs, controls and evaluates us. Life teaches us. What is more important, life is always fair towards us. That is why we consider life to be the best teacher. To sum up, it should be said that every person has his own attitude towards education. For some people education seems to be an obligation, even a burden, for others it is the meaning of life, for the rest it can be a means to achieve some higher goals†¦ but there is no doubt, education is the most powerful tool that has a certain impact on our lives. The other question is how to use this tool. Nukhayeva Kamila

Marketing Plan For Lipton Ice Tea

Marketing Plan For Lipton Ice Tea In 2005, the tea industry reached the $1.7 billion category and it is expected to continue growing indefinitely (Mintel 2005). Market analysts believe the tea industry will continue to boom and is not expected to reach saturation level in the near future. The favorable movement in the tea industry can be attributed to two major factors: a) consumers need for convenience and time-saving services; and b) the positive press given to tea. American lifestyle and work habits have made convenience a necessity. As employers demand for productivity from their employees, consumers are more pressed for time. In addition, the shaky economy has made Americans fear for their jobs; thus, any product that can fill the consumers need for convenience and speed are almost automatically embraced into the American lifestyle (Mintel 2005). For the last decade, the health benefits of tea have gained wide coverage in the media. Studies continue to show the beneficial properties of teas, with health benefits ranging from lower cholesterol levels to improve arterial health and decreasing chance of cancer. This positive press has definitely catapulted the demand for tea (Mintel 2005). Both the need for convenience and positive press on tea have spurred an increase in sales of tea products, specifically ready-to-drink (RTD) teas sold in single-serve containers (Mintel 2005). Recognizing this trend, various companies in the tea industry have come up with innovative products to take advantage of the booming market for ready-to-drink teas. Lipton tea, one of the global leaders in refreshment brands, launched new products to meet the growing the need for ready-to drink teas and introduced innovative product line to capture the health- conscious market. For over a century, Lipton has been dominating the world tea market with the companys tea-based drinks including leaf tea, infusions and ready-to-drink tea. Its success has been attributed to the firms â€Å"strong focus on innovation and the expertise of its tea specialists- professionals in tea-growing, tasting, buying, blending and RD teams† (Wikipedia 2007). One of the main driving forces for Liptons success is the companys source of tea. Lipton teas are sourced from various plantations in well-know tea-producing countries such as India, Indonesia, Kenya and Sri Lanka. It maintains specialized tasting rooms in seven regional located across the globe. Presently, Lipton has about 30 different tea blends (Wikipedia 2007). As Lipton is a part of the Unilever global consortium, the company ensures that its tea producing farms do not only yield high-quality product but also protect and improve the natural environment and livelihood of workers and local communities. Liptons plantations in East Africa have been working with third party estates to ensure compliance with Unilevers sustainable agriculture guidelines and the Ethical Tea Partnership criteria (Wikipedia 2007). As part of Lipton teas drive to capture the booming market for ready-to-drink teas, the Anglo-Dutch Unilever Company entered into a joint agreement with American PepsiCo in 2003. Through the joint venture agreement, PepsiCo distributes or markets Lipton tea products, specifically Lipton Ice Tea in more than 60 countries where PepsiCo has established its corporate presence (Wikipedia 2007). â€Å"The 50-50 JV Pepsi Lipton International is the latest move in Unilevers Path to Growth strategy which has mostly involved the disposal of non-core businesses rather than support for existing brands† (â€Å"Unilever-PepsiCo† 2003). In a press statement, Unilever announced that the joint agreement with PepsiCo has two main goals: to move the Lipton brand into new distribution channels and into new markets. While Unilever claims that Lipton is the leader in the 16-billion liter world market for ready-to- drink tea, its presence remains slim in a number of key markets; thus, the agreement with PepsiCo is expected to address such concern (â€Å"Unilever-PepsiCo† 2003). Unilever stated that â€Å"the [50-50 JV Pepsi Lipton International] will target the ‘white space markets where Lipton has no current presence and it is anticipated that significant business opportunities will come from the key high-potential markets where Pepsi is already strong† (â€Å"Unilever-PepsiCo† 2003). PepsiCo is expected to build the sales of the Lipton ice tea in 60 countries including Brazil, Spain, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Albania, Romania, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi and the six Gulf States. The Pepsi Lipton International venture is a logical expansion of an earlier collaboration between the two companies. The Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership was set up by the two companies some 10 years ago to expand sales in the North American market, and is now firmly established as the leading RTD tea player in both the United States and Canada. With the aim of achieving a similar level of market dominance in the rest of the world, the latest joint venture will aim to leverage the strengths of both parents. It will principally sell ready-to-drink tea concentrate to franchise bottlers for distribution by Pepsi. As the worlds largest tea producer, Unilever will bring the brand, knowledge of the tea industry and a substantial research and development capability to the JV; Pepsi will contribute access to its extensive bottling and distribution network with strong customer relations (â€Å"Unilever PepsiCo† 2003). Customer Analysis There are two major target markets for ready-to-drink ice tea. One group is the consumers on the go. These are the employees, students, and other consumers who lead a busy lifestyle. The hectic American lifestyle demands for optimize productivity with lesser time- consumption. Thus, there is a need for products that are accessible and readily available. Convenience has dominated the market, particularly the food and beverage industry. The other group is made up of health conscious consumers, specifically the baby boomers who patronize anything healthy. The positive reviews as well as the studies on the benefits of tea drinking have stirred an interest in tea drinking. Representing about 10 percent of the world market for tea (Wikipedia 2007), Lipton ice tea is poised to improve its customer base through a joint agreement with PepsiCo and aggressive marketing strategy. Recent report (Winslow 2006) that the main factor for the improving market performance of Lipton ice tea is its health benefits. Consumers believe that tea is very good for the body; thus, it is more logical to drink more tea and less soda pop and other drinks. Consumers drink Lipton tea because of its beneficial effects to ones health. Consumers consider drinking Lipton as a healthy habit. The 100 percent Natural Tea and 150 mg of protective natural antioxidants has made Lipton tea a major participant in the global tea market. â€Å"Many tea drinkers choose Lipton because it is really inexpensive and you can get it just about anywhere. It is surprising that more people do not drink tea, as they would longer, happier and healthier lives if they did† (Winslow 2006). Furthermore, some customers think that taking anti-oxidants are healthy, thus, customers drink a couple of gallons per week: â€Å"Tea makes you look younger too and gives you energy as well. You know it also costs a lot less to drink tea too, for 100 bags at $2.50 lasts you about 3- weeks. 2-quarts per day are possible when it is really hot out, of course it varies with the drinker† (Winslow 2006). Recognizing that majority of Lipton ice teas consumers are the health-conscious and on- the-go drinkers, Lipton continues to develop its product lines to make it more convenient, accessible and health-appealing to consumers. Brand Analysis and Positioning Lipton ice tea is produced to make it â€Å"great tasting and good for [consumers] because it is rich in protective antioxidants† (Unilever 2007). Lipton ice tea is marketed globally as â€Å"the perfect drink for active, healthy lifestyle† (Unilever 2007). It is available in 16 oz plastic bottles with select flavors sold in six-pack cases. Flavors available are: Iced tea Sweetened Lightly sweetened iced tea Iced tea Unsweetened Tea with no sugar and no added flavors Iced tea with Lemon Sweetened iced tea with a twist of citrus flavor Iced tea with Raspberry Sweetened iced tea with raspberry flavor Iced tea with peach Sweetened iced tea with peach flavor Iced tea Diet Sweet Tea Lightly sweetened with Splendid and no calories Iced tea Diet Lemon Lightly sweetened with a hint of lemon Iced tea Extra Sweet Very sweet iced tea, marketed as Southern Style in some areas Half Half Half sweetened ice tea and half lemonade Diet green tea with Mixed Berry Mellow tea diet and lightly flavored with mixed berry (Wikipedia 2007; Unilever 2007). The packaging and marketing strategy for Lipton ice tea is a reflection of Unilevers thrust for consumer welfare and sustainable development. To meet the growing demand for ice tea, Lipton continues to develop new products through its research and development department. New flavors are being added to cater to changing and adventurous tastes of consumers. More importantly, the Unilever-PepsiCo ensures that Lipton ice tea continues to expand its niche in the global market. According to Patrick Cescau, director of Unilever Foods: We [Unilever] have a strong presence in the developing and emerging markets yet there is plenty of ‘white space to move into. These markets are the next in our planned rollout and we see Pepsi as the best partner to help us achieve this. This new joint venture marks a truly significant step in the expansion of the brand, bringing it within the reach of many millions of new consumers.(â€Å"Unilever PepsiCo† 2003). Moreover the alliance between Unilever and PepsiCo is expected to â€Å"enable Lipton to strengthen its global position. At the same time, we are rounding out our portfolio with a strategic partnership in one of the fastest growing beverage segments and providing consumers with Lipton, the world leader in tea. (â€Å"Unilever PepsiCo† 2003). Direct Competitor Analysis One of the major competitors for Lipton in the world ice tea market is Nestle Refreshment Company, maker of Nestea Ice Tea, well-known competitor for Lipton ice tea. Like Lipton-Unilever, Nestle Refreshment Company has forged agreement with another soda manufacturer, Coca Cola, to form the Coca Cola/Nestle Refreshment Company (Sturdivant 1992). Nestles alliance with Coca Cola has the same purpose as the Unilever PepsiCo joint agreement: global distribution. The strong presence of Coca Cola/Nestle ice tea in the United States and some parts of the globe remains a threat to the goals of Unilever PepsiCo to make Lipton the most dominant player in the global ice tea market. Coca Cola/Nestle has two major products: Nestea sweetened with natural lemon flavor and diet Nestea with natural lemon flavor. Both are available in 12 ounce cans and in 16 ounce wide mouth glass bottles. In addition to the cans and bottles, Nestea is available in refrigerated cartons (as in milk cartons) in the refrigerated sections of grocery stores and convenience stores. The tea is preservative free and made from a brewed product taken back down to a tea powder. While Nestle Coca Cola continues to develop the packaging and marketing strategies for Nestea Ice Tea, there are no recent announcements of impending new products or new flavors of ice tea to be developed soon. There is a limited flavor of Nestea Ice Tea which is basically the original ice tea flavor. The company has not shown interest to capture the emerging demand for healthy ready-to-drink ice tea products. This can be a good opportunity for Unilever PepsiCo to exploit. Lipton Ice Tea can continue to expand its market niche by capturing the growing market for healthy ready-to- drink ice tea. Unilever PepsiCo can exploit the limited flavors of Nestea Ice Tea. Recommendations/Conclusions: With the expected growth of the billion dollar ready-to-drink ice tea market, Lipton Ice Tea is poised to capture a bigger share of the market with an aggressive marketing strategy: from packaging to advertising. Short Term Goals: Improve market presence by 20% Short-Term Objectives Aggressive Marketing Strategy Unilever can take advantage of the positive press on the health benefits of tea to boost the sales of its ice tea product line. The company can use recent studies on the health benefits of tea as the basis of its press releases and advertising campaigns. Improve Packaging Currently, the Lipton Ice Tea are available globally in two sizes: the 16-oz bottle and 2 liter bottle. Unilever can come up with other packaging sizes to ensure that consumers will have other choices and that Lipton Ice Tea will be easily and readily available to consumers. Improve Shelf Presence Unilever PepsiCo can make a deal with retailers ensure retail shelf space and prominent positioning for Lipton Ice Tea. â€Å"Although an average shopper may not notice what brands are positioned in prominent places on shelves or how much room is allotted to each manufacturer, †¦shelf space and positioning as make or break factors in introducing new products† (Sturdivant 1992). Long-Term Goals: World Number One ready-to-drink ice tea Long-Term Objectives: Product Innovation Unilever PepsiCo must continue its innovative research and development strategy to come up with new flavors and products. Unilever has extensive research facilities on product improvement. The company can use its resources and professional expertise to come up with new flavors that will suit the continuous demand for healthy ready-to-drink ice tea. With aggressive marketing strategy and product positioning, Lipton Ice Tea is poised to take the global lead in ready-to-drink ice tea industry.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Essay -- Narcissism Essays

Narcissism is the inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity. The term, "narcissism" comes, of course, from the Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus shunned all the other nymphs until one of them prayers to the goddess of love and made a request that someday narcissus would feel the joy and pain of love. The goddess granted the wish to the nymph and narcissus soon would understand the joy and pain of love. Narcissus went to get a drink of water and saw the most the most beautiful face that he had ever seen; he plunged in to kiss the face but could because it was his own reflection. Narcissus had fallen in love with his self. He lost all importance of food, movement or anything. Narcissus was cursed with the love of his own image and he died because the thought of not being able to kiss his self killed him; thus the term narcissism was born. Often people who have narcissistic behavior are described as attention seekers, people who need the praise of others, people who have an attitude excessive cockiness and over all lack of self esteem. Often this self centeredness leads to a very selfish mindset. A person with a narcissistic disorder praises themselves to blind themselves to their own insecurities. Any praise of other people is viewed by the perverted mind of a narcissist as a â€Å"threat† to him or her. What makes this disorder much more intense that any ordinary personality disorder is that narcissistic people feed off the praise of others as well as themselves just as narcissus did. The narcissist denies the existence of his/her inner self. Narcissists are terrified of moments of self-awareness. They have a tendency to focus on the flaws of others so that confessing they have a problem won’t be possible since ... ...nd characteristics like these really can’t go away but what the medicine, family counseling, psychotherapy and the treatment given is suppose to do is minimize these outburst and help the patient and the people around them cope with their disorder. Works Cited http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/personality_disorders/hic_narcissistic_personality_disorder.aspx EBSCOhost: Hypomanic symptoms predict an increase in narcissistic and histrionic personality; Source: Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269); 2008 Vol.25 Issue 10. Page 892-898 Document Type: Article: Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Hypomania Personality Affective Disorders J.Psychiatry 1994 – Rick Factors for Suicidal behavior in Borderline Personality Disorder Authors: of the book Soloff PH, Book Am J. Psychiatry, 1994 – Page 151, 1316-23 Authors: LisJa, Kelly, T. Cornelius J, Ulrich R.

The US, the ICC and the future: A suggestion on how to convince the US

The US, the ICC and the future: A suggestion on how to convince the US that signing and ratifying the ICC would be to its benefit Introduction Throughout the 20th century, the world has experienced some of the greatest wars and catastrophes for human life. Simultaneously the world has achieved some of the greatest advances in codifying human rights and enhancing the understanding that we are all citizens of this world and invariably connected. Whatever human crisis occurs in one part of the world will in the short or long term influence the other parts of the world and nobody is immune to this fact. Especially the United States seems to have understood in the 20th century that interaction between states and individuals is vital, and that the rule of law has to be established on a national and international level. Arguable after the civil rights struggle and eventually the end of the Cold War the US was able to take action in order to criticize human rights violations across the globe. The civil rights movement indicated the US slowly growing willingness to accept the equality of all its citizens, while the fall of the Berlin Wall gave the US (and arguably other countries too), the freedom to care and openly criticize human rights violations wherever they happened to occur. However, despite the US strong involvement in codifying human rights and international criminal law through treaties, conventions and institutions, the US has already recently been accused of maintain an isolationist and even hegemonic stance across the globe. The US, through its omnipresent stance in the international media, international political arena, military capacity etc. is able to be unilateralist and not care about hum... ... of the United Nations. The International Criminal Court: The Making of the Rome Statute: Issues, Negotiations, Results [10] 81. Herman von Hebel and Darryl Robinson. The International Criminal Court: The Making of the Rome Statute: Issues, Negotiations, Results [11] Statement by US President Bill Clinton, authorizing the US signing of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 31 December 2000, Camp David, Maryland, United States [12] UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ARMS CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY WASHINGTON, John R. Bolton. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/5/6/114156.shtml [13] P. 38. John Bolton. Toward an International Criminal Court? A Council Policy Initiative. [14] 39. John R. Bolton. Toward an International Criminal court? A Council Policy Initiative [15] 43. Ibid. The US, the ICC and the future: A suggestion on how to convince the US The US, the ICC and the future: A suggestion on how to convince the US that signing and ratifying the ICC would be to its benefit Introduction Throughout the 20th century, the world has experienced some of the greatest wars and catastrophes for human life. Simultaneously the world has achieved some of the greatest advances in codifying human rights and enhancing the understanding that we are all citizens of this world and invariably connected. Whatever human crisis occurs in one part of the world will in the short or long term influence the other parts of the world and nobody is immune to this fact. Especially the United States seems to have understood in the 20th century that interaction between states and individuals is vital, and that the rule of law has to be established on a national and international level. Arguable after the civil rights struggle and eventually the end of the Cold War the US was able to take action in order to criticize human rights violations across the globe. The civil rights movement indicated the US slowly growing willingness to accept the equality of all its citizens, while the fall of the Berlin Wall gave the US (and arguably other countries too), the freedom to care and openly criticize human rights violations wherever they happened to occur. However, despite the US strong involvement in codifying human rights and international criminal law through treaties, conventions and institutions, the US has already recently been accused of maintain an isolationist and even hegemonic stance across the globe. The US, through its omnipresent stance in the international media, international political arena, military capacity etc. is able to be unilateralist and not care about hum... ... of the United Nations. The International Criminal Court: The Making of the Rome Statute: Issues, Negotiations, Results [10] 81. Herman von Hebel and Darryl Robinson. The International Criminal Court: The Making of the Rome Statute: Issues, Negotiations, Results [11] Statement by US President Bill Clinton, authorizing the US signing of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 31 December 2000, Camp David, Maryland, United States [12] UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ARMS CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY WASHINGTON, John R. Bolton. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/5/6/114156.shtml [13] P. 38. John Bolton. Toward an International Criminal Court? A Council Policy Initiative. [14] 39. John R. Bolton. Toward an International Criminal court? A Council Policy Initiative [15] 43. Ibid.

Is Liberal Autocracy the Optimum Form of Governance for Lesser Developed Countries?

Is Liberal Autocracy the optimum form of governance for Lesser Developed Countries? Andre Lim, Joshua Tjahjadi August 2011 1743 Words Hypothesis: Liberal autocracy is the optimal system of governance for lesser-developed countries (LDCs) Democracy at home, and abroad: In this essay, the authors aim to compare the systems of governance in Indonesia and Singapore, as well as how their differences have led to varied repercussions in both countries; those (repercussions) that will be closely examined here are the growth/development of stable governmental institutions, as well as the just rule of law.These are relatively newly-decolonized states existing side by side, in recent years taking different paths of governance. This resulted in wildly different outcomes. What was it about their different political paths that caused the difference? Is the fault with the democratic process, or with their implementation? Is there a certain developmental threshold within which democracy is just doom ed to failure? Many of these questions traverse along peripheries of political doctrine and liberal ethics. Certainly, democracy is an unpredictable, and often messy process.Only by answering hard questions like these can it be better understood, and refined. This is what the authors hope to achieve. To start off, however several key terms first have to be defined. Liberal autocracy refers to a non-democratically elected government founded on the principles of liberalism, that is a fundamental belief in the importance of liberty and basic fundamental rights. Notably successful examples include Singapore, and in the past Hong Kong, Taiwan as well as Japan. Lesser developed countries are nations exhibiting low levels of socio-economic development.Criterion include- low economic development (GNP of less than 905 USD, per capita) as well as human resource weakness (indicators include Adult literacy, nutrition and education). Liberty vs. Democracy- Rise of illiberal democracies? As Faree d Zakaria once brilliantly put it, ‘there today exists two strands of liberal democracy, both inextricably interwoven into Western political fabric- liberty and democracy. ’ The former is floundering even though the latter is flourishing. What is the significance of this co-relation?Democracy at its purest essentially means the rule of the people, whatever it may entail. Liberty recognizes that every man is born with certain unalienable rights- rights to religion, to life, to own property and be free from unfair prosecution. These are rights that cannot be infringed upon. Thus the crux behind constitutional liberty is the construction of institutions such as an independent Judiciary and Treasury to safeguard these rights. Only with a firmly-established Constitutional Liberty can democracy become a force for good.People frequently understand these concepts in reverse. Without the restrictive tenets of a strong Constitutional Liberty, the democratic process will end up ma nipulated and reinforcing corrupted/tyrannical/incompetent governance, elevating mediocrity and triggering stagnation. This is made apparent with Indonesia’s example. Without the checks and balances provided by libertarian governance, elections more often than not grant victory to illiberal forces. Contrast with Singapore’s single-party rule that gave rise to political stability and little corruption.A lack of liberty turn erodes the egalitarian and majoritarian principles casted by founders of modern constitutional-democracy doctrine- Madison, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu. After all, the democratic system obviously has many admirable qualities. It allows a peaceful transfer of power, and renders tyrannical rule impossible. In both Singapore and Indonesia, this conundrum has been made apparent, time and again. 1960s to 2000: Emerging from the upheavals of 1960s, both the LKY and Suharto regime placed utmost emphasis on stability and order.Thus a common tactic was to st ifle political opposition; co-opting whoever they could, and proscecuting the rest. For instance, in the 1980s a group of Indonesian intelligentsia composed of former military men, public intellectuals and officials signed the Petition of 50(Petisi 50), criticizing the regime’s authoritarian tactics and following a 1984 accusation that Suharto was building a one-party state, the group was cracked down upon and many of its leaders were jailed. In Singapore, many prominent opposition leaders such as Chee Soon Juan and Joshua Jeyaretnam were proscecuted and jailed for their political activities.In both nations, the government also played a major role in different sectors of society; be it religion, social or economic. The results were astounding. Between 1960 and 1990, GDP/capita increased four-fold. After the debacle made by the Sukarno regime of economic affairs, Indonesia slowly regained trust of investors, and foreign markets. Hyper inflation was brought under control, and a s slew of measures were implemented to make Indonesia competitive again. By early 1980s Indonesia had achieved self-sufficiency of rice production, as well as basic education for all and successful family planning measures.The Golden Age of Autocrats? In the 1960s-1980s, in midst of the Cold War, amidst the geopolitical turmoil engulfing South Asia then, strong leaders were required maintain unity, as well as stability. In a sense, the turbulence of those years gave legitimacy for autocratic rule. In developing countries where the populace was mostly uneducated and politically illiterate/susceptible to radicalism, the strong hand of an Autocrat was required to provide the stability vital to building the economy, creating strong instutions, pushing forth important reforms. These would in the future be key to building a working Democracy.If there was one thing men like Mahatir, Marcos, Chiang, Lee and Suharto agreed on, it was that in an LDC, the strong, unwavering hand of autocratic rule was necessary to temper populism and keep check radicalism. 2000 onwards: Since the fall of Suharto in 1998, Indonesia evolved into a full-fledged democracy. However, democracy has brought about a whole slew of problems. For instance, the judiciary’s impartiality and reliability have often been questioned. In June 2011, a judge was caught receiving bribes from a lawyer that amounted to Rp250 million in various currencies.In addition to this, the country also faces problems such as crumbling infrastructure, falling tax revenues, environmental degradation, corruption as well as religious tensions. Singapore on the other hand has been powering forward, be it in terms of education levels, or the economy. Its political elite, un-encumbered by electoral demands is able to make long-term decisions that otherwise would have been rendered impossible in a full-fledged democracy. For example, Singapore fiscally is exceptionally disciplined.Its population exists on little subsidies, and through measures like the CPF, whereby people pay for their own compulsory healthcare insurance, it has large surpluses and little deficit. This allows the MAS and GIC to invest in new technologies and facilities vital to Singapore’s long-term growth, such as the Petrochemical facilities on Jurong- Island, or Biopolis biomedical facilities. Contrast this to Indonesia, whereby the electorate is unwilling to give up on fuel and food subsidies they once enjoyed during the boom years, but are nowadays unsustainable and detrimental to Indonesia’s economic growth.What constitutes good Libertarian Governance? Having looked at the preceding case studies, several correlations can be made between democracy, governance and progress. Firstly, it is that democracy can only become a force for progress and stability were it to come hand in hand with strong governance. When left to itself, democracy by no means lead to consensus and effective decision making. Instead, it will end up getting manipulated and corrupted by infighting, vested interests and corruption. Take the Indonesian Parliament. It is an archetypal example of the democratic process getting hijacked by corruption and ideology.Given that Indonesia lacks strong governmental institutions and mature civil society, the democratic process frequently ends up as a medium for parties in power to battle out their vested interests and for racial, ethnic groups to push forward their own agendas. Some may ask, what is the value of strong institutions? The crux behind Constitutional Democracy lies in checks and balances. No single party should have all the power, instead; power and the decision making process should be diffused among the different branches of government.This way, it would render cronyism, patronage politics and in general bad governance less likely. Were this accomplished, decision making rests not so much on who is in power; but rather the institutions that formulate and implement them. T hus the underlying problem with immature democracies like Indonesia. Without a civil society and strong institutions to balance out the powers of the executive, there is nothing preventing irresponsible governance on the part of those who seek to use democratic institutions to push forward their undemocratic agendas.For instance, with the presence of a strong judiciary and treasury to formulate and implement a just tax code, it would be impossible for Indonesian conglomerates and their cronies in Parliament to push for tax breaks and other concessions. This is inherently undemocratic. What Democracy thenceforth would end up doing is aggravating conflicts and instability, as can be seen in places like Lebanon and Iraq, whereby the advent of democratic elections have given rise to an ethnically, politically polarized electorate. Secondly, a certain amount of economic growth has to be achieved before a stable democracy can be established.There exist several reasons for this. On one han d, a government capable of producing sustained economic growth is more likely to be stable and effective, possessing the strong institutions required for this. Their presence increases the chances of a Liberal Democratic regime surviving. Economic prosperity also means that a society is more stable, with an educated, empowered population likely to hold government account to their actions. Paradoxically, as inherently undemocratic the PAP regime may seem today, Singapore 45 years after independence is closer to becoming a successful Liberal democracy than ever before.Having a motivated, uncorrupt elite in more or less total control of public policy means that Singapore had been able to enjoy decades of sustained economic, political and social growth. This has created stability, as well as strong institutions and a flourishing civil society. With its vast ruling majority, the PAP regime has also been able to build legislative and judicial institutions that counterweigh the power of th e ruling body, since it has no need to cope with frequently detrimental populist sentiments or political infighting.The legislative body can then focus solely on advancing national interests. Therein lies the crux behind effective governance. Conclusion: In conclusion, it can be surmised that establishing the pre-requisites required for a strong Democracy is a complicated process. Developing countries lack these pre-requisites, and trying to develop Liberal institutions in these countries under democratic circumstances is arduously tough. When this process fails, as it often does, the Democratic process loses its value as a force for stability.Herein lies the value of a Liberal Autocracy; to build the foundations for a working democracy. Certainly, liberal autocratic rule has its disadvantages. With such a high concentration of power within the ruling government, things only work out if the government is able, uncorrupt and works to build the institutions required for future transit ion to democratic rule. This was the case in Singapore. In Indonesia, the establishment of growth, stability and Liberty came hand in hand with cronyism and patronage politics. This is undemocratic; a possible offshoot of autocratic rule.Like America’s founding fathers, Lee and Suharto were both elitists with a democratic cause; to improve the lot of as many people as possible. They had one consensus- Democracy has to be meticulously built, rigorously defended. Developing countries require autocracy first, were a strong democracy to be conceived. However, with the advent of internet and a new generation of young people eager for rights and freedoms, this formulae may not work in other developing countries today. After all, any system needs to be revised from time to time. No system last forever.This thus, is the dilemma developing countries face today. They face the problem of consolidation, of making a democratic regime successful, because self-government is never easy. Afte r all, democracy can be entrusted to any society, but not everyone can make it work. (1743 words) Bibliography Hard copy sources: 1. â€Å"Future of Freedom- Illiberal Democracy, At home and Abroad† by Fareed Zakaria, W. W. & Norton Company Inc. 2003, ISBN0393047644 2. â€Å"Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew: Citizen Singapore-how to build a nation† by Tom Plate.December 1 2010, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, ISBN-10 9812616764, ISBN-13 978-9812616760 3. â€Å"Lee Kuan Yew-Hard truths to keep Singapore going† by Ignatius Low, Chua Mui Hoong, Han Fook Kwang, Zuraidah Ibrahim, Lydia Lim, Rachel Lin and Robin Chan. February 2011, The Straits Times Press, ISBN 978-981-4266-72-7 Soft copy sources: 1. Is Media Helping or Hurting Push for Democracy Ismira Lutfia, May 9 2011 http://www. thejakartaglobe. com/arts/is-media-helping-or-hurting-push-for-democracy/440043 2. LeeKuanYew-istan Forever Parag Khanna, May 24 2011 3.Indonesian Democracy at Standtill John Macbeth, Str aits Times Indonesia May 10 2011 4. A Replacement for Suharto’s Iron Fist Mohamed Iqbal Ahnaf April 08, 2011 5. Liberalism and Democracy: Cant Have One Without The Other Marc Plattner, 1998 http://www. foreignaffairs. com/articles/53815/marc-f-plattner/liberalism-and-democracy-cant-have-one-without-the-other? page=show 6. The Thinker: Indonesia Unplugged? Mahpud Sujai, May 27 2011 http://www. thejakartaglobe. com/opinion/the-thinker-indonesia-unplugged/443379 ——————————————– 1 ]. Future of Freedom- Illiberal Democracy, At home and Abroad† by Fareed Zakaria, W. W. & Norton Company Inc. 2003, ISBN0393047644 [ 2 ]. http://www. indonesia-digest. net/3300suharto. htm [ 3 ]. ibid [ 4 ]. Jakarta Post, November 5 2009 [ 5 ]. Future of Freedom- Illiberal Democracy, At home and Abroad† by Fareed Zakaria, W. W. & Norton Company Inc. 2003, ISBN0393047644 [ 7 ]. 6 ibid [ 8 ]. 7 ibid [ 10 ]. Conversations With Lee Kuan Yew February 2011, The Straits Times Press, ISBN 978-981-4266-72-7 [ 11 ]. ibid [ 12 ]. ibid [ 13 ]. Foreign Policy, May 2007