Actions Panel
Democracy through Strength: Luncheon with Dr. Dan Slater
Date and time
Location
Johns Hopkins SAIS
1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW Suite 812 Washington, DC 20036Description
Contrary to theoretical expectations that authoritarian regimes are most likely to allow democratization as a last resort during times of extreme weakness, authoritarian regimes in Asia have often pursued democratic reforms as a proactive strategy from a position of considerable strength. This presentation discusses the historical forces that have facilitated democracy through authoritarian concession rather than authoritarian collapse in developmental Asia, as well as the dynamic processes through which authoritarian regimes have either brought it into being or failed to do so.
Dr. Dan Slater specializes in the politics and history of enduring dictatorships and emerging democracies, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. He recently joined the University of Michigan after twelve years on the faculty at the University of Chicago, where he served as Director of the Center for International Social Science Research (CISSR), Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, and associate member in the Department of Sociology. His published articles can be found in journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, American Journal of Sociology, Comparative Politics, and the Journal of East Asian Studies, among others. Before completing his Ph.D. at Emory University in 2005, he received a B.A. in International Relations and History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in International Studies from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, and spent ten months as a Fulbright scholar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.