Модернизацията в сравнителна перспектива: опитът на България и Япония
Modernization in Comparative Perspective. Bulgarian and Japanese Experience.

Summary/Abstract: This study on Bulgarian and Japanese societies focuses on the resprective processes of their modernization starting in the 1870s to post-World War II modernization and contemporary Bulgarian's transition from totalitarian rule to democracy and from a centralized to a market economy begun in late 1989. Japanese transition to reform has always been characterized by pragmatism, a strong competitive spirit and a desire to outstrip the West a better implementation of it's own models. Japanese culture is alien to antagonism and confron-taion, while the strong feeling of community among the citizens consolidates national self-respect. The Japanese see a change as a natural continuation of the past, whereas Bulgarians associate reform with rejection of the past. In Bulgaria, the interests of the elite prevail over the public interest, and the instability of institutions and absence of national integrity remain obstacles to effective reform. Bulgarian society's potential for modernization can only be realized if national identity and integrity are based on common values. The postwar development of Japan, specifically its quick and effective modernization as well as the lessons from its current economic difficulties, could be very instructive for Bulgaria in it's attempt to carry out social and economic reforms, to rediscover it's cultural identity and to overcome the danger of modernization "breakdown".

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