DEMOCRACY AND THE CRISES

Research on “Democracy and the Crises” is designed to understand the implication of the crises, particularly the situation of Pandemic Covid-19, on the state and the functioning of democracy in Asia Pacific Countries. The challenges brought by Pandemic have shook the very foundations of many democracy and democratizing countries since the crises arrived on the time of democracy was perceived as “in decline”.

The first stage of the research is a desk study to develop comprehensive and cutting edge understanding of the state of democracy in the time of pandemic learning from the experiences from global countries responses, in particular in Asia-Pacific. Second stage is developing concept paper based on and in conjunction with the desk study has been conducted. The last stage is a process of developing report and publications on the output of the research and insights shared in the dialogues and the state of democracy in the time of pandemic learning from the experiences from global countries responses, in particular in Asia-Pacific.

Democracy in Decline then Pandemic

Understanding the health of democracy during and after the Pandemic Covid-19 is salient for several reasons. The arrival of the Pandemic Covid-19 was in the time of serious questions have been raised to the state of global democracy. Democracy in retreat, democracy in decline, and democracy in crises became the characterization of problems and challenges both developed democracy and democratizing state. Can democracy response? Democracy has faced various historical hard times. During the great recessions, the survival of democracy was in question. The emergence of terrorist attacks, culminating in 911, has justified the coercive measures. The changing of political landscape with rise of populist and undemocratic leaders shook again democracy core.

The arrival of Pandemic Covid-19 brought additional and new ramifications. First, the pandemic could affecting so many people, so many casualties, in so short times. Responding to these will challenges and stretch the existing health system, availability of resources, and the capacity of health workers. Second, since the pharmaceutical intervention in the form of vaccine is not available yet, the prevention is the only possible option. Non-pharmaceutical interventions requires systematic and massive resources. Effort to detect, locate, and isolate infected patients were complicated by unavailability of the needed tests and the emergence of non-symptomatic positive infected patient. Third, to implement the territorial lockdown requires significant amounts of funding, human resources, and disciplines. And finally, responding to the implications of the Pandemic to the trust to the system (politics), unemployment (economy), nation-building (social), and other problems indicated the nature as multidimensional crises.

Despite quite similarity of challenges, the responses made by various countries in the world indicated variations. The question is whether the responses made are still being grounded in democratic values and processes. The following part of the research reviews responses to the Pandemic Covid-19 and briefly uncover conditions enabling and constraining the responses.

Crises and the Needs to Reinvent Democracy

What are the implications of the Pandemic Covid-19 to Democracy? What are the implications of the responses to the Pandemic on democracy? Can we sustain democracy post-pandemic? How and what conditions?

Those are significant questions need to be responded not only conceptually, but also strategically. As a forum of sharing experiences, dialogues, and building initiatives for democracy supports in Asia-Pacific, the roles of Democracy Forum and its pillars are critically salient. The declining of democracy and the complications brought by the Pandemic Covid-19, necessitates the profound responses.

This research elaborated comparative responses made by various countries in the world on the Pandemic Covid-19 in their respective countries. This part will briefly review those responses in term of four broad categories: understanding the pandemic, preventing the pandemic, managing the implications, and designing agenda for recovery. The review will cites few examples of democracy responses which often brought further challenges and dilemma. The following part elaborates the responses respectively.

This research reflects on the conceptualization of democracy proposed in this research. This conceptualization is significant for inspiring their manifestation in practices. The conceptualization will be started on the general arguments on the needs to develop pluralist conceptualization of democracy and revisit critically the concept of governance. Then, this part of proposal will delve into the ideas of supporting the conditions of democratic pillars, particularly by reinventing the state, supporting societal activism, and humanizing the market.