A different breed of democracy
How we understand and define democracies in Europe and Asia will be the subject of a two-day workshop beginning tomorrow at ANU.
The workshop will examine so-called hybrid regimes – political systems, which are neither clearly democratic nor authoritarian but often appear as democratic with authoritarian elements.
Workshop convener Dr Juliet Pietsch, from the School of Politics and International Relations in the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, said that while acknowledging some of the achievements, speakers will also examine where the wheels have come off on the rocky road to democratisation.
“One of the major successes in Southeast Asia is the case of Indonesia, which has successfully transitioned from an authoritarian system to a democratic system with major political and institutional reforms,” said Dr Pietsch.
“However, underpinning some of these reforms in Indonesia and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe and East and Southeast Asia is widespread public dissatisfaction with ongoing corruption, poor government performance and perceptions of unfair treatment and inequality.”
Guest speakers will examine the important connections between parties, political leaders and citizens – preconditions widely regarded as necessary for the proper functioning of democracies.
Speakers include:
- Professor Takashi Inoguchi, University of Tokyo
- Professor Doh Chull Shin, University of California
- Professor William Liddle, The Ohio State University
- Professor Stephen White, University of Glasgow
- Distinguished Professor Ian McAllister, The Australian National University
- Professor Shamit Saggar, University of Sussex
- Associate Professor Lily Rahim, University of Sydney
- Professor Graeme Gill, University of Sydney
The workshop is hosted by the School of Politics and International Relations and the ANU Centre for European Studies.