Democratic Deconsolidation in Southeast Asia: Democratization and its Obstacles in Southeast Asia (Elements in Politics and Society in Southeast Asia) - Softcover

Mietzner, Marcus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1108468950 ISBN 13: 9781108468954

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2021

Synopsis

Since the mid-2000s, the quality of democracy around the world has been in decline, and Southeast Asia is no exception. This Element analyzes the extent, patterns and drivers of democratic deconsolidation in the three Southeast Asian countries that boast the longest history of electoral democracy in the region: Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. While the exact deconsolidation outcomes differ, all three nations have witnessed similar trends of democratic erosion. In each case, long-standing democratic deficiencies (such as clientelism, politicized security forces and non-democratic enclaves) have persisted; rising wealth inequality has triggered political oligarchization and subsequent populist responses embedded in identity politics; and ambitious middle classes have opted for non-democratic alternatives to safeguard their material advancement. As a result, all three polities have descended from their democratic peaks between the late 1980s and early 2000s, with few signs pointing to a return to previous democratization paths.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108468950
• ISBN 13: 9781108468954
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 86