ABSTRACT

This chapter explores how civil society organizations (CSOs) have impacted democratic transitions in Asia including Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Myanmar, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Shipper examines to what extent CSOs have contributed to deepening consolidation and retrenchment of democratization. These societal actors continue to contribute to democratic deepening in newly democratized Korea and Taiwan, as well as in the more developed democracy of Japan. At the same time, he also argues that some civil society groups function to reinforce the status quo and can hinder democratization by propagating hate speech and/or inciting violence against minority groups.