Electoral Malpractice in Asia Bending the Rules

What causes widespread abuse of the electoral process? How do political elites choose and weigh the relative costs and benefits of differing kinds of electoral manipulation? How and why have patterns of electoral conduct changed over time? The authors of Electoral Malpractice in Asiaanswer these questions and more as they systematically compare the quality of elections across eleven democracies and electoral autocracies. Covering a range of regimes and practices, they highlight not only the varying ways that electoral integrity is violated, but also the consequences for the quality of democracy across the region. CONTENTS: Electoral Malpractice in Asia: The Menu of Manipulations--the Editors. RULING PARTY ACTORS: CHOOSING FROM THE INCUMBENTS' TOOLKIT. Japan: Manipulating (on) the Margins--K.M. McElwain and T. Yoshikawa South Korea: Neither Free nor Fair--J.-s.You. Taiwan: Raising the Bar--K. Templeman. Mongolia: When Manipulation Backfires--M. Seeberg. Singapore: Tilting the Playing Field--N. Tan. Malaysia: When the Whole Menu Is Not Enough--K. Ostwald. Cambodia: When the Gloves Come Off--M. Grömping. LOCAL AND UNELECTED ACTORS: MANIPULATION WITHOUT INCUMBENTS. Indonesia: Different Actors, Different Tools--S. Soderborg. The Philippines: Democracy in Distress--C. Calimbahin. Myanmar: Invisible Intimidation--E. Bjarnegård. Thailand: Uses and Abuses of Electoral Reforms--J. Selway. CONCLUSION. Electoral Malpractice: The Consequences for Democracy in Asia--the Editors.