Courts and authoritarian populism in Asia

Reflections from Indonesia and the Philippines

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6090550
AutoresBjörn Dressel (0000-0002-3301-6805, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia, autor de correspondencia), Cristina Regina Bonoan (College of Law University of the Philippines Quezon City Philippines)
Año2024
Volumen46
Número3
Páginas277-297
Fecha de publicación2024-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaLaw & Policy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0265-8240 • E-ISSN: 1467-9930
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/lapo.12240
OpenAlexW4392711846
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas48

Authoritarian populism has been making a comeback in Asia, as illustrated in Southeast Asia's most important presidential regimes: the Philippines and Indonesia. In the Philippines, President Duterte (2016–2022) has shown unprecedented illiberal transgressions. Meanwhile in Indonesia, Joko Widodo's increasingly assertive presidency (2014–) has renewed concerns about “democratic backsliding” in what to date has been one of the region's most vibrant democracies. In both instances, courts have been largely muted in responding to these developments, raising concerns about their ability to counter democratic backsliding. A distinct political agenda targeting the courts through partisan control over parliament to pursue illiberal goals; undue presidential influence over judicial appointments reinforced by informal loyalty dynamics; and traditionally weak public support for the courts versus high executive popularity are critical drivers behind this trend. Nevertheless, the inherent fragility of competitive‐clientelist regimes common to the region also offers courts the opportunity to recover and resist such efforts, especially in electoral democracies

Authoritarianism · Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Parliament · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Populism · Presidency · Presidential system · Sociology · Asian Studies and History · Indonesian Election Politics and Participation · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law