Introduction: states, critical citizens, and the challenge of democratization in Southeast Asia
Date
2015-04-24
Authors
Rahim, Lily Zubaidah
Pietsch, Juliet
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
The political trajectories in Southeast Asia are much more complex than neat theoretical models would suggest. In particular, the diverse experience of post-authoritarian states are far from linear – often moving forward, backward, and forward again, or stalling for a number of years. Political trajectories can thus be uneven and erratic, as exemplified by Thailand's military coups, graduating from hegemonic to competitive electoral authoritarian rule in Singapore and Malaysia and lingering within the zone of low-quality democracy as characterized by Indonesia's poor governance and neo-patrimonial dynamics. Indeed, since 2014, Freedom House no longer classifies Indonesia as ‘Free’, following the passage of legislation restricting the activity of civil society and the human rights violations against religious minorities. Similarly, Thailand lost its ‘Free’ ranking in 2006 and the Philippines in 2007.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Collections
Source
Japanese Journal of Political Science
Type
Journal article