Democratic Crisis and Reform
Research Focus
The Democratic Crisis and Reform research track assesses the liberalized political evolution in Asian countries, identifies current challenges to democracy, and seeks future prospects for democratic longevity in the region.
This research is part of the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL).
"The Adventure of Democracy"
After a long fight, Korea finally overcame an authoritarian government and achieved democracy. However, maintaining democracy and its values today does not come without its difficulties. In The Adventure of Democracy (Korean title), Professor Gi-Wook Shin examines major challenges for Korean democracy today, including the perils of polarization, populism, and illiberalism.
Based on Shin's series of essays, titled Shin's Reflections on Korea and originally published in Shindonga, Korea’s oldest monthly magazine, this book also discusses why and how Korea can defend a liberal international order and embrace cultural diversity to spur innovation as well as promote tolerance and inclusiveness, and pursue global engagement to support sustainable development goals in a way that can make Korea a mature democracy. Shin is currently working on the English version of this publication.
Sustainable Democracy Roundtable
Liberal democracy is hard-earned but sometimes even harder to guard. The foundations of liberal democracy are being seriously challenged, leading to political decay and public distrust of its values and democratic systems. With democratic backsliding threatening old and new democracies, Western democracies no longer serve as guiding light.
Against this backdrop, the annual Sustainable Democracy Roundtable brings together scholars of diverse backgrounds to propose solutions to globally pertinent policy issues. In partnership with the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS), the Sustainable Democracy Roundtable aims to create a unique platform for scholars to present alternative solutions to global issues, social progress, and long-term development.
The inaugural two-day conference took place at Stanford University on August 29-30, 2023, gathering scholars and students from the United States and South Korea. The sessions offered platforms for scholars to foster future collaborative projects to improve the trajectory of liberal democracy. Future iterations of the Roundtable aim to spur research partnerships and produce publication deliverables with experts, scholars, and students from the United States and the Asia-Pacific region. A conference report will be published and accessible through this page.