The Democracy Exchange

What can democracies in different parts of the Global South learn from one another - and what can democracies in the Global North learn from them? The Democracy Exchange: South to South is a new mini-series from the People, Power, Politics podcast, bringing together researchers and activists from across the Global South to exchange ideas and experiences of democratic resilience. Produced as part of the Southern-led Approaches to Democratic Resilience project, with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the series starts with Asia Asks, Latin America Responds. Join Janjira Sombatpoonsiri and Jennifer Cyr as they discuss what makes democracy resilient in Latin America, who the primary resisters are in different countries, and why context is so vital for how democratic erosion, resistance, and recovery occurs in Latin America and across the globe.

Guest:

Jennifer Cyr is Associate Professor of Political Science at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT) in Buenos Aires. Her research focuses on political representation, democratisation, and institutional stability and change in Latin America, as well as qualitative and mixed research methods. She is the author of The Fates of Political Parties: Institutional Crisis, Continuity, and Change in Latin America and Focus Groups for the Social Science Researcher. Her recent work examines the challenges facing democratic resilience, including the difficulties democracies face in recovering from periods of authoritarian erosion. She is working on this IDRC-sponsored project with Matías Bianchi (Asuntos del Sur) and Paula Clerici (CONICET-UTDT).

Presenter:

Janjira Sombatpoonsiri is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, and a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA). Her research focuses on democratic resilience, civil resistance, protest movements, civic space and digital repression, particularly in Southeast Asia. She leads the Asian component of the Southern-Led Approaches to Democratic Resilience project and has published widely on pro-democracy movements and authoritarian responses to dissent. She is the author of Humor and Nonviolent Struggle in Serbia and the forthcoming A Thousand Cuts: Digital Repression and Pro-Democracy Movements in Thailand.

The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world and follow us on Twitter at @CEDAR_Bham!

Transcript here