How Information Disorder Affirms Authoritarianism and Destabilizes Democracy: Evidence, Trends, and Actionable Mitigation Strategies from Asia and the Pacific

Michael Buehler, Ed Schatz, Sameen Andaleeb Mohsin Ali, Christopher Greene, Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

Research output: Book/ReportCommissioned report

Abstract

Democracy has been in decline across Asia and the Pacific for more than 10 years. Information disorder, an environment in which distorted and manipulated information is ubiquitous, is believed to play an important role in affirming authoritarianism and destabilizing democracy across the region. To understand how distorted information is being used to gain and maintain unchecked and unaccountable power in Asia and the Pacific, USAID/Asia Bureau’s Technical Services requested, under the Asia Emerging Opportunities mechanism, an analysis of how information disorder affirms authoritarianism and destabilizes democracy in Asia and the Pacific. In discussing the scope of work with the USAID/Asia Bureau, the research team received guidance that the analysis should present a series of in-depth country case studies that examine if and, if so, how information disorder affirms authoritarianism and destabilizes democracy in Asia and the Pacific. The team approached this question through a series of in-depth country case studies that concentrated on identifying supply- and demand-side factors that contribute to information disorder at the national and subnational levels in four countries in Asia and the Pacific. The case study countries are the Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand. The countries represent regime types ranging from relatively democratic political systems to de facto military dictatorships.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherSSRN
Commissioning bodyUS Agency for International Development (USAID)
Number of pages130
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Jan 2022

Keywords

  • Information Disorder
  • Central Asia
  • South Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • Pacific
  • Kyrgyz Republic
  • Nepal
  • Thailand
  • Papua New Guinea

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