Development of Accountability Systems and Their Impact on Democratization in Southeast Asian Countries

Session Submission Type: Organized Panel Proposal Application

Abstract

Accountability has been attracting attention as a means of improving efficiency of public services, addressing policing corruption, and considering the responsiveness of government to voters.
Many studies have examined the utility of accountability systems in developed countries. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to the effect of accountability in democratizing countries. Because the political situation differs in many ways between the developed and newly emerging countries, the political effects of accountability might also be different. It is, therefore, necessary to examine the political results of the emergence of accountability systems in developing countries moving beyond the debate over whether the level of accountability is sufficient or insufficient in a single country.
In this panel, we will focus on four countries in Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The actors, which are assumed to exercise accountability functions, can be categorized into four types: (1) voters, (2) non-state organizations, (3) state agencies, and (4) international actors. To capture the multifaceted impacts of accountability systems on democratization, we will focus on different actors. In the case of Indonesia, we will focus on voters, and in the case of Thailand, we will consider the role of state agencies. As for Malaysia, we will investigate media and the opposition. In the case of the Philippines, we will analyze the role played by NGOs.

Area of Study

• Southeast Asia

Session Organizer

• Ayako Toyama, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Chair

• Yutaka Katayama, Kyoto Notre Dame University

Individual Presentations

• Political Accountability in Thailand-Institutional Problems of Constitutional Independent Organs - Ayako Toyama, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

• Political Scandals and Societal Accountability in Contemporary Malaysia: The Role of New Media and Opposition Parties in Democratizing Society - Tsukasa Iga, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

• Politics of Accountability in Indonesia: A Case of Jakartan Governorship - Ken Miichi, Iwate Prefectural University

• Civil-Military Cooperation and its Accountability:Military in Search of NGOs’ Understanding in the Philippines - Saya Kiba, Kobe University

Discussants

• Wasan Luangprapat, Thammasat University

• Supasawad Chardchawarn, Thammasat University