Since the end of the Cold War, the world has witnessed the emergence of multiple and diverse forms of democratic governance. While democratic practices have deepened in some countries through greater electoral openness, political participation, and civil society engagement, others have experienced democratic decline alongside the emergence and consolidation of corruption.
As the world becomes increasingly multipolar and demographically diverse, understandings and practices of democratic governance and corruption are becoming less universal and more localized. These two areas are dialectically related and, in some respects, antithetical. Effective democratic institutions, checks and balances, public accountability, and a free press can constrain corruption by exposing and sanctioning wrongdoing. Yet weak or emerging democratic institutions can also become vulnerable to political patronage, clientelism, and state capture when the rule of law is inadequately protected. Democracy and corruption may therefore coexist within the same political space, producing a complex and multidirectional relationship.
Within multiparty political systems, it is generally assumed that democratic institutions, mechanisms, and normative principles can be mobilized to address problems associated with authoritarianism, weak governance, and corruption. We therefore need to examine more closely the origins, effectiveness, and limitations of these democratic tools and mechanisms.
Why are we interested in this theme? We cannot transform what we do not understand. This panel invites political scientists and scholars from related disciplines to examine the complex relationship between democratic governance and corruption through comparative and/or single-case studies. Contributions may address these issues at the regional, continental, national, or local levels.
The panel particularly welcomes studies examining how constitutions, political parties, political communities, students, youth, workers, women, and civil society organizations understand, experience, and define democratic governance and corruption within their respective institutional and social contexts. We are especially interested in contributions that explore how these actors interact with, challenge, or reproduce existing systems of power, accountability, and governance.
The panel seeks to deepen our understanding of the meanings, interactions, and consequences of democratic governance and corruption, and to assess their implications for political institutions, public life, and societies across different regions of the world.
