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Developmental states should not be confused with social democratic states which have a broader social and political objective.Totalitarianism is very much a twentieth- century phenomenon--associated, in particular, with Nazi Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union, and East Germany--althougLiberal democracies--such as the USA, the UK, and Germany--are characterized by free and fair elections involving universal suffrage, together with a liberal political framework consisting of a relatively high degree of personal liberty and the protection of individual rights.This failure, it is argued, has hindered the social democratic project because greater social and economic equality is greatly assisted by general economic prosperity which provides a great deal more resources to redistribute.Here, a useful distinction is to be made between liberal democra- cies, illiberal democracies, and authoritarian regimes (Hague and Harrop, 2007: 7-9).Illiberal democracies--such as Russia and Malaysia--are characterized by elections but relatively little protection of rights and liberties, and state control over the means of communication.The political elites in such regimes can derive from the military, royalty, ruling par- ties, or merely be individual dictators.One of the criticisms of post-1945 British political and economic development is that Britain adopted a social democrat approach but neglected the developmental aspect (Marquand, 1988).

Developmental states should not be confused with social democratic states which
have a broader social and political objective. They are associated with attempts to secure
greater social and economic equality, rather than just economic development. One of the
criticisms of post-1945 British political and economic development is that Britain adopted
a social democrat approach but neglected the developmental aspect (Marquand, 1988).
This failure, it is argued, has hindered the social democratic project because greater social
and economic equality is greatly assisted by general economic prosperity which provides a
great deal more resources to redistribute.
States can also be defined in terms of their relationship to democracy or popular control
of political leaders. Here, a useful distinction is to be made between liberal democra-
cies, illiberal democracies, and authoritarian regimes (Hague and Harrop, 2007: 7-9).
Liberal democracies—such as the USA, the UK, and Germany—are characterized by free
and fair elections involving universal suffrage, together with a liberal political framework
consisting of a relatively high degree of personal liberty and the protection of individual
rights. Illiberal democracies—such as Russia and Malaysia—are characterized by elections
but relatively little protection of rights and liberties, and state control over the means of
communication. This creates a situation where opposition leaders and parties are disad-
vantaged and, as a result, there are relatively few transfers of power through elections.
Authoritarian regimes can be characterized in terms of the absence of fair elections and
therefore the accountability of political rulers. About a third of people in the world live
under regimes that can be described as authoritarian, most notably China—which con-
tains just under 20 per cent of the world’s population—and many states in the Middle
East. The political elites in such regimes can derive from the military, royalty, ruling par-
ties, or merely be individual dictators.
The degree of intervention in the economy and society can vary enormously in authori-
tarian regimes. At the extreme end is the totalitarian state, so-called because the state
intervenes—often through a brutal and oppressive state police—in all aspects of social
and economic life, under the guise of a transformative ideology. While liberal state theory
postulates the existence of a civil society in which the state intervenes relatively rarely,
in totalitarian states civil society is eclipsed. Totalitarianism is very much a twentieth-
century phenomenon—associated, in particular, with Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Soviet
Union, and East Germany—althoug