Read the full essay here.
The essay analyzes the global surge of Gen-Z–led mobilization, arguing that youth protests are propelled by economic precarity, exclusion from power, and especially corruption. It finds that movements with extensive youth participation can be potent yet face severe repression and rarely resolve structural grievances quickly. Organizing is often decentralized and leaderless, aiding diffusion but complicating bargaining and transitions. Cases examined include Tunisia’s 2010 uprising; anticorruption mobilizations in Nepal, Indonesia, Serbia, Peru, and the Philippines; and diffusion from Sri Lanka (2022) and Bangladesh (2024), with transition dynamics unfolding in Bangladesh, Nepal, Madagascar, and Peru . Durable gains hinge on disciplined mobilization during volatile transitions and converting protest energy into electoral and institutional influence.
Image Credit: LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images