3rd Asian Summer School on Political Parties and Democracy - Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia
Following on from the previous Summer School in Bischkek, Kyrgyzstan, the 3rd Asian Summer School on Political Parties and Democracy took place at the University of Nottingham Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. After 7 days of presentations, discourse and exchange of constructive feedback, the 3rd Asian Summer School on Political Parties and Democracy has been successfully concluded. From 14 to 20 August 2023, 14 young researchers, policymakers and academics from 10 different Asian countries have gathered to present their current research papers to academic experts and political practitioners. A wide range of topics were covered by papers such as campaign strategies and role of political parties, party polarisation, varieties of populist attitudes, backsliding of democracy and deliberative democracy, hybrid movements and digital technology, empowering youth in politics, and legal reform and political funding regulations.
22 experts and practitioners provided their feedback on the research papers the participants had written. However, the experts and practitioners not only commented on the participants’ research findings, they also presented their own political work or political science research. As a result, lively debates arose between participants and guest speakers on various topics pertaining to parties and democracy like elections and campaigning, social movements, democracy backsliding, populism, inclusive representation of women and youth, party funding and corruption, China’s influence in the Southeast Asian region, and their own experiences regarding the fight for democracy and democratic values in their home countries. Meeting local political leaders, the participants were also given the privilege to deepen their knowledge in the field of Malaysian politics.
New ideas and approaches coming from the participants, the expertise from seasoned academics, and the primary information from the first-hand experience of practitioners resulted in a rich source of intriguing questions about the role of political parties, social movements and democratic developments within an Asian political context.
