| Synonym | political modernisation |
|---|---|
| Meaning | the process of transformation from a pre-modern 'traditional' polity to a post-traditional 'modern polity'[1] |
| Political modernization | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 政治現代化 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 政治现代化 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | transformation processes in the political sphere of a society[2] | ||||||
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Political modernization (also spelled aspolitical modernisation;[3]Chinese:政治現代化),[4] refers to the process of development and evolution from a lower to a higher level, in which acountry's constitutional system and political life moves from superstition ofauthority,autocracy and therule of man torationality,autonomy,democracy and therule of law.[5] It manifests itself in certain types of political change, like political integration, political differentiation, political secularisation, and so forth.[6] The process of political modernisation has enhanced the capacity of a society's political system, i.e. the effectiveness and efficiency of its performance.[7]
Sustainability studies researcher George Francis argues that 'political modernisation' is the changes in the nation-state brought about by theneoliberalglobalisation process since the 1970s.[8] It primarily consists of processes of differentiation ofpolitical structure and secularisation ofpolitical culture.
AccordingSamuel Huntington, an American political scientist, political modernization consists of three basic elements, therationalization of authority, the differentiation of structure and the expansion ofpolitical participation.[9]