- 期刊
Economic Development, Human Rights and Democracy in Cambodia
摘要
This paper examines the relationships between democracy, human rights and economic development in Cambodia since the first general election, which was held in 1993. It was believed that there cannot be full attainment of human rights without development, nor there be development without respect for human rights. Prior to 2018 elections, there had been a steady improvement in terms of compliance with international human rights standards and Cambodian laws, in spite of being marred by varying degrees of intimidation of voters, and attacks on political opponents. The seats in the National Assembly gradually were controlled by one political party, Cambodian People's Party. Although the situation of democracy and human rights seems to have deteriorated since 2018 election, the net inflow of foreign direct investment as a percentage of GDP did not decline and net official development assistance also continued to increase. Moreover, the growth rate of gross domestic product was also remarkably high. China became the largest creditor of government debt and the largest source of investments in Cambodia. There is no clear relationship between democracy, human rights and economic development. Cambodia seems to follow the pattern of authoritarian regimes in Asia such as the Philippines under Marcos and Indonesia's Suharto in the second half of the 20th century.