Neighboring Singapore's former leader Lee Kwan Yew has used the term to justify the extremely well-ordered society Singapore maintains, and its laissez-faire economic approach. His theories are often referred to as the "Lee Thesis," which claims that political freedoms and rights can actually hamper economic growth and development. According to this notion, order as well as personal and social discipline, rather than political liberty and freedom, are most appropriate for Asian societies. Adherents to this view claim that political freedoms, liberties, and democracy are Western concepts, foreign to their traditions.