Political Participation In Asia

The ability of a small elite of highly educated, upper-class Asian women to obtain the highest political positions in their country is unmatched elsewhere in the world and deserves study. But there is a marked lack of relevant research as well as of comprehensive and user-friendly texts. Aiming to fill the gap is this timely and important study of the various obstacles and opportunities for women's political participation and representation in Asia.

A combination of economic transformation, political transitions and changes in media have substantially, if incrementally, altered the terrain for political participation globally, particularly in Asia, home to several of the most dramatic such shifts over the past two decades. This book explores political participation in Asia and how democracy and authoritarianism function under neoliberal economic relations. It examines changes that coincide seemingly perversely with a participation explosion: with mass street protests and ‘occupations’, energetic online contention, movements of students and workers, mobilization for and against democracy and more. Organized thematically in three parts – political participation in a ‘post-democratic’ context, changes in the scope and character of political space and the policing of that space – this book analyzes economic, regime and media shifts and how they function in tandem and both within and across states. Closely integrated, comparative and theoretically driven, this book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in the fields of civil society, contentious politics or social movements, democratization, political economy/development, media and communications, political geography, sociology, comparative politics and Asian politics.

This book examines types of political participation in ten Asian countries. The inquiry begins by building on past theories of types of political behavior and who participates in each type. Then six dimensions of political participation are constructed and tested using a survey dataset from the Asian Barometer Survey. The findings from this empirical analysis indicate that Asians also fall into six political behavior types. The analysis continues with an examination of social characteristics (such as age, gender, income, etc.) that help determine with which type of participation one will be involved. After examining participation in the region as a whole, the scope of this book turns to a quantitative investigation of individual countries in Asia. Contents:Introduction to Asian Political BehaviorLiterature ReviewParticipation in the Asian ContextTypologies of Participation in AsiaPolitical Behavior within Ten Asian CountriesConclusion Readership: Academics, undergraduate and graduate students, professionals interested in political participation, political behavior in Asian countries. Key Features:Examines all aspects of political participation in Asia instead of focusing on just voter turnoutIncludes survey data from thousands of individuals, across ten countries, to help quantitatively explain participation patterns in AsiaKeywords:Political Participation;Asia;Political Behavior;Voting

Why study the nexus of gender, politics, and democracy in Asia? What kind of democracy and political participation can we conceptualize and identify for this heterogeneous region? In the increasingly visible Asian context, which concepts, contexts, discourses, and practices do we need to reflect upon most in order to understand the complex relationship between gender and democratic processes? The contributions in this book engage with precisely these crucial questions, and do so by drawing on a variety of case studies covering India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia. In the process, they scrutinize women's roles, strategies, practices, and discourses on political participation and gender-inclusive political reform in various arenas of political engagement. The book's essays range from studies of political actors and institutions, public policy and gender mainstreaming, political theory and citizenship discourses, to the study of various women's movements. (Series: Politikwissenschaftliche Perspektiven - Vol. 15)

Despite the size and relative prosperity of the Asian American ethnic population, the participation of Asian Americans in electoral politics has been low. This study explores the relationship between ethnic identity and political participation on three levels-between the four major racial/ethnic groups of the American nation, inside the multi-ethnic Asian American population, and within a specific Asian American ethnic group (Koreans). Empirical analysis of surveys dealing with ethnic identity, experience, and voting behavior reveals the complexity of Asian American identities and the importance of both positive and negative experiences in shaping political participation. While, in general, individuals of Asian descent tend to participate less in electoral politics, the political involvement of those with a stronger sense of pan-Asian or specific ethnic identity are more complex. Political participation can be increased by a greater sense of group consciousness and identification of interests with either the panethnic group or a specific ethnic group. Most importantly, the socio-political context shapes the impact of ethnicity on political participation. The experience of Korean Americans in southern California exemplifies this process-Koreans, often victimized by hate crimes, were politicized by the riots following the trial of LAPD officers in the Rodney King incident. The study concludes with a discussion of the meaning of electoral participation and financial contributions for Asian Americans, and of the role of political parties, interest groups, and media in the mobilization of Asian Americans into mainstream politics. (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Florida, 1995; revised with new preface, and foreword)

"With an empirical focus on regimes in Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia, the author examines the social forces that underpin the emergence of institutional experiments in democratic participation and representation"--

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Women and Politics, held at Islamabad during 24-25 November 2005.

The Internet's explosive growth over the past decade is nowhere more visible than in Asia. This book provides an in-depth look at the impact of social media on political engagement among young citizens in this rapidly changing region of the world.