ABSTRACT

This volume on politics in Asia casts a wide net, both geographically and politically. Countries in the region range from genuinely free, fair, and liberal in their political institutions, practices, and values to totalitarian. And, the space in between these two poles is well populated by countries with some democratic elements but where full democracy comes up short. Democracy is defined as a political system in which there are free, competitive, and fair elections; in which there is a high degree of protection of political, economic, and social rights, and rule of law; and in which rulers are genuinely accountable to the people. This chapter assesses the state of democracy in Asia. How might we understand democratic trends and practices in Asia? There are three international surveys that attempt to assess a broad range of political, civil, and economic rights: Freedom House, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, and Bertlsmann’s Transformation Index of developing or transitional states. While each index uses slightly different metrics, they all aim to evaluate many different markers or elements that impact political freedom or the lack thereof. For this chapter, I have chosen to use the Freedom House assessments. 1