Democracy in the Asia-Pacific Region
Abstract
In this report, we study democratization and the factors that influence it among small states in Asia, identify the policies that can support democratization, and examine the role that external actors can play in support of democratization. Our objective is to understand why some Asian states consolidate democratic gains while others slide toward authoritarianism, as well as the implications for policies to support democratic consolidation. We follow a three-stage approach: (1) a literature review to identify global and Asian trends in democratization and to identify influential factors from the economic, social, political, and geopolitical domains; (2) a statistical analysis to discover significant democratization factors for Asia relative to global democratization factors; and (3) interview-based case studies of four Asian states - Taiwan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia - at different stages of democratization. The study was conducted in 2020 and 2021. This research will be of value to policymakers who are interested in the subject of strengthening Asias democratization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1154914
Entities
People
- Cortez A. Iii Cooper
- Eugeniu Han
- Rafiq Dossani
- Sale Lilly
Organizations
- RAND Corporation