On the Frontlines of Democracy27 Jun 2023

Democratization in Asia-Pacific with Joseph Wong

Sanjay Ruparelia is joined by Joseph Wong, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto and the Roz and Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Professor Wong discusses why it's better for authoritarian regimes to transition to democracies when they're strong, rather than when they are weak. Although it may seem counterintuitive, Wong argues that autocratic governments have an incentive to transition to democracies when they're most powerful, rather than when they're on the brink of collapse.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Show Notes:

In this episode of On The Frontlines of Democracy, show host Sanjay Ruparelia sits down with University of Toronto professor and political scientist, Joseph Wong. The pair discuss why some authoritarian regimes have smoother transitions to democracy compared to others. Ultimately, Professor Wong argues that liberal democracies should encourage autocrats to embrace democratic transitions when they're powerful, rather than hoping for their collapse.

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Joseph Wong, Roz and Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Vice President, International of the University of Toronto

Background Reading:

Joseph Wong and Dan Slater's From Development to Democracy

Joseph Wong's Healthy Democracies

Joseph Wong's Betting on Biotech: Innovation and the Limits of Asia's Developmental State

Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson's Why Nations Fail

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(30)

Countering the Threat of Wannabe Fascists with Federico Finchelstein

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Federico Finchelstein about the history of fascism and the growing threat authoritarian politics pose to democracy today. Drawing on his latest book, The Wannabe Fasc...

25 Mai 1h 5min

Building Democratic Resilience and International Solidarity with Bob Rae

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with The Honourable Bob Rae, in a special live recording at DemocracyXchange 2026, about the state of global order, Canadian democracy, and the country's role in a shiftin...

24 Apr 59min

The Struggles for Black Freedom in the US and Africa with Howard French

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Howard French, professor of journalism at Columbia University and author of The Second Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation and the Modern Black Freedom...

6 Apr 50min

Dignity, Freedom and Memory with Lea Ypi

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Lea Ypi, professor of politics and philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science and author of Indignity: A Life Reimagined, about dignity, freed...

27 Feb 43min

The Fight for Global Human Rights with Ketty Nivyabandi

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, about the global state of human rights amid rising authoritarianism, conflict, and democratic ero...

18 Des 202548min

The Political Economy Underlying the US-China Clash with Ho-Fung Hung

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Ho-Fung Hung, the Henry and Elizabeth Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University, to discuss contemporary understandings of China and how t...

20 Nov 202545min

The Making and Unmaking of American Power with Ed Luce

U.S. national editor and columnist at the Financial Times, Edward Luce, joins host Sanjay Ruparelia to discuss the topic of latest book: Zbigniew Brzezinski. They cover his life, legacy, as well as le...

24 Okt 202539min

Globalization and the New Geography of Inequality with Branko Milanović

Economist, professor and author Branko Milanović joins host Sanjay Ruparelia to discuss global economic inequality, the impact of globalization and the role of migration in addressing inequality. _...

16 Mai 202544min