External publications

Civil society, public support, and democratic recession in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines

Lorch, Jasmin / Marlene Mauk
External Publications (2025)

in: Democratization 32 (8), 1851-1879

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2025.2464902
Open access

Civil society is generally considered as crucial for the development and stability of democracy. Specifically, based on social capital theory, many works assume that civil society organizations (CSOs) strengthen democracy by fostering public support for democratic institutions. Contrariwise, research on civil society’s “dark sides” argues that CSOs are not necessarily democratic. Investigating India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, which have undergone democratic recession, we approach the complex inter-relations between civil society, social capital, public support for democracy, and democratic resilience. To do so, we conduct a trend analysis, using diverse quantitative data sources, and interpret the results based on qualitative insights from area studies.

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