Over the past century, Asia has been transformed by rapid economic growth, industrialization, and urbanization—a spectacular record of development that has turned one of the world’s poorest regions into one of its richest. Yet Asia’s record of democratization has been much more uneven, despite the global correlation between development and democracy. Why have some Asian countries become more democratic as they have grown richer, while others like China haven’t?
Dan Slater is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan and Director of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies. He specializes in the politics and history of enduring dictatorships and emerging democracies, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. He was previously faculty at the University of Chicago, where he served as Director of the Center for International Social Science Research.
Part of the Kennedy Center's Winter 2023 lecture series, "Building a Civil Society."