Principal speaker
Dr Lee Morgenbesser
To account for a perceived change in the quality of modern authoritarian rule, this paper introduces the theory of "retrograde" and "sophisticated" authoritarianism. The overarching goal of some dictators and dominant parties is to continuously exemplify the virtues of democracy, be it accountability, contestation, equality, participation and representation, without actually succumbing to democratization. This occurs across five newly conceived features: institutional configuration, control mechanism, governing model, information management and international engagement. Using this theoretical framework, this paper indexes six cases from Southeast Asia on a scale from retrograde to sophisticated authoritarianism. The findings are pertinent to ongoing debates concerning the form and trajectory of authoritarian regimes.
Dr Lee Morgenbesser is a lecturer with the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University and recipient of a Discovery Early Career Research Award from the Australian Research Council (2018-2020). His most recent book is Behind the Façade: Elections under Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia (New York: SUNY Press, 2016) and he has published articles in Asian Studies Review, Comparative Political Studies, Contemporary Politics, Democratization, European Journal of East Asia Studies, Political Studies and The Pacific Review. His research areas are authoritarianism, dictators, democratization, flawed elections and Southeast Asian politics (particularly Cambodia, Myanmar and Singapore).
Please note this research seminar will be held at N16 meeting room 1.44.
Event categories
RSVP
RSVP on or before Monday 30 July 2018 , by email events-gai@griffith.edu.au , or by phone 07 3735 4705
Event contact details
- Kahlia Bartley
- events-gai@griffith.edu.au
- 07 3735 4705