Electoral Politics in Asia - (Palgrave Indo-Pacific Studies) by Jhumpa Mukherjee & Priya Singh & Anita Sengupta (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This volume examines the complex interplay of geopolitics, electoral politics, and representative governance across South, Southeast, West, and Central Asia through an intersectional lens. Analyzing electoral developments in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, it explores diverse political systems ranging from consolidated democracies to hybrid regimes and entrenched authoritarian states. With many of these countries having held national elections in 2024, the volume offers timely insights into how majoritarian, proportional and hybrid electoral systems mediate governance, legitimacy and citizen participation. It interrogates the role of elections in enabling democratic representation while exposing how identity politics, majoritarianism, and systemic exclusion continue to shape outcomes. Combining macro and micro perspectives, the volume provides grounded, comparative analyses of Asia's political trajectories and will be of interest to scholars and students of political science, international relations, area studies, and electoral politics.

From the Back Cover

This volume examines the complex interplay of geopolitics, electoral politics, and representative governance across South, Southeast, West, and Central Asia through an intersectional lens. Analyzing electoral developments in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, it explores diverse political systems ranging from consolidated democracies to hybrid regimes and entrenched authoritarian states. With many of these countries having held national elections in 2024, the volume offers timely insights into how majoritarian, proportional and hybrid electoral systems mediate governance, legitimacy and citizen participation. It interrogates the role of elections in enabling democratic representation while exposing how identity politics, majoritarianism, and systemic exclusion continue to shape outcomes. Combining macro and micro perspectives, the volume provides grounded, comparative analyses of Asia's political trajectories and will be of interest to scholars and students of political science, international relations, area studies, and electoral politics.

Jhumpa Mukherjee (M. A (Gold Medalist), and Ph. D) is Associate Professor and Head of the Postgraduate and Research Department of Political Science at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.

Priya Singh is the Associate Director and Programme Coordinator at Asia in Global Affairs (AGA), Kolkata. She has been a Fellow at the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok.

Anita Sengupta is currently Director, Asia in Global Affairs, Kolkata. She has been Fellow, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi and Director, Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata.

About the Author

Jhumpa Mukherjee (M. A (Gold Medalist), and Ph. D) is Associate Professor and Head of the Postgraduate and Research Department of Political Science at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.

Priya Singh is the Associate Director and Programme Coordinator at Asia in Global Affairs (AGA), Kolkata. She has been a Fellow at the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok.

Anita Sengupta is currently Director, Asia in Global Affairs, Kolkata. She has been Fellow, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, Senior Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi and Director, Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata.