2nd Asian Summer School on Political Parties and Democracy - Regionalprogramm Politikdialog Asien
As a continuing franchise of the Asian Schools, the 2nd Asian Summer School on Political Parties and Democracy was held at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Academy in Bishek, Kyrgyzstan. After 7 days of presentations, discourse, and exchange of constructive feedback, the 2nd Asian Summer School on Political Parties and Democracy has been successfully concluded. From 20 to 26 June 2022, 10 young researchers, policymakers, and academics from various Asian countries have been given the opportunity to present their current research papers to both academic experts and political practitioners. A wide range of topics were covered by the papers such as faith and gender in politics, party life after elections, internet restrictions, elite politics and dynasties, money laundering, campaign funding and terrorist financing, and effectiveness of open government initiatives.
During the seminar, 21 experts and practitioners provided their feedback on the research papers. They also engaged in lively discussions on various topics pertaining to parties and democracy like elections and campaigning, social movements, party institutionalization, democracy backsliding, populism, inclusive representation, party funding, corruption, the pros and cons of democracy promotion, and to Russia’s bid in central Asian political development. The participants were also given the privilege to understand the local context through field study and exchange with local stakeholders.
Both our participants and resource persons benefited from the event due to the discursive nature of the programme. This kind of measure did not only benefit the target stakeholders which are the young academicians but also our partners. The fresh ideas coming from the participants, the expertise from seasoned academicians, and the primary information from the first-hand experience of practitioners resulted into a rich source of intriguing questions about the role of political parties in democratization process.
