Digital Campaigning and Political Finance in the Asia and the Pacific Region

A New Age for an Old Problem
2,160
This publication is only available in electronic format
Published: 
14 October 2022
Language: 
English
Pages: 
119
ISBN: 
978-91-7671-557-4 (Print)
ISBN: 
978-91-7671-556-7 (PDF)
Author(s): 
Joo-Cheong Tham, Andrea Carson, Adhy Aman and Amy Chinnappa. Case study authors: Charles T. McClean, Elnura Omurkulova-Ozierska
Co-Publisher(s): 
The Electoral Regulation Research Network (ERRN)

This report studies the intersection between digital campaigning in elections, and political finance and its regulation in the Asia and the Pacific region. In so doing, it connects the digital disruption with an existential threat to democracies across the world―money in politics. Political finance poses the danger of not only ‘policy capture’ but also, in worse scenarios, state capture by monied interests. 

The report maps out the nature and extent of digital campaigning in the Asia and the Pacific region, with a focus on five country case studies (Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan and Kyrgyzstan), and it studies the regulation of digital campaigning under political finance laws. It analyses the democratic implications of digital campaigning for political finance and its regulation. Recommendations are provided for regulating the nexus between digital campaigning and political finance to enhance the benefits of digital campaigning for democracies in the Asia and the Pacific region.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. THE NEGLECTED NEXUS

Chapter 2. THE STATE OF DIGITAL CAMPAIGNING IN THE REGION

Chapter 3. POLITICAL FINANCE REGULATION AND DIGITAL CAMPAIGNING IN THE REGION

Chapter 4. UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY THROUGH REGULATORY PATH DEPENDENCE?

Chapter 5. KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Case study. AUSTRALIA

Case study. INDIA

Case study. INDONESIA

Case study. JAPAN

Case study. KYRGYZSTAN

Annex A. Analysis of political finance regulation in the Asia and the Pacific region

Annex B. List of questions for country case studies

References

CASE STUDIES

About the authors

About the partners

 

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