[ADRN Issue Briefing] Vertical Accountability: Ten Asian Country Cases
Commentary·Issue Briefing
Jung Kim | 2024-09-30
Jung Kim, an Associate Professor at the University of North Korean Studies (UNKS), synthesizes case studies on vertical accountability in ten Asian countries, focusing on elections, political parties, media, and civil society. His findings reveal a strong correlation between the quality of democracy and diagonal accountability. In countries with strong vertical accountability, electoral and diagonal accountability reinforce each other, bolstering democratic resilience, while weaker vertical accountability creates a negative feedback loop. In this context, Kim emphasizes the importance of a dynamic civil society, a free press, and active political parties in preventing democratic backsliding.