Using the 2015 Myanmar Asian Barometer Survey, this essay highlights the challenges ahead for Burma’s democratization. Despite the decisive victory of prodemocratic forces, Myanmar’s political culture and, in particular, its illiberal values, gaps in democratic citizenship, and demands for economic development pose daunting challenges for the new government and will place strain on the ongoing democratization process. The findings point to the need for civic education to deepen support for democracy.
About the Authors
Bridget Welsh
Bridget Welsh is professor of political science at Ipek University (Ankara), senior research associate at National Taiwan University’s Center for East Asia Democratic Studies, and senior associate fellow at the Habibie Center (Jakarta).
Yun-han Chu was an academician of Academia Sinica, where he was also Distinguished Research Fellow of the Institute of Political Science, and professor of political science at National Taiwan University.
Once again, a reformist electoral victory has been followed by political setbacks. The key to understanding this paradoxical pattern lies in the unique theocratic constitutional structure of the Islamic Republic.
