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Is Democracy Being Consolidated in B hutan?
Author(s) -
Turner Mark,
Tshering Jit
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
asian politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1943-0787
pISSN - 1943-0779
DOI - 10.1111/aspp.12127
Subject(s) - democratization , democracy , politics , political science , context (archaeology) , modernization theory , civil society , socioeconomic status , public administration , political economy , sociology , law , geography , population , demography , archaeology
This article examines the early years of democratization in the small H imalayan Kingdom of B hutan. Once a reclusive country, B hutan embarked on a gradual path of socioeconomic modernization and opening up to the rest of the world. A most significant step on that path was the decision to democratize. The first national democratic elections were held in 2007–2008. In 2013, the second national elections took place and marked an appropriate moment to assess the progress of democratization in B hutan. This article not only analyzes the electoral experience but also evaluates what has occurred in other areas of democratization including the rule of law, accountability of government, civil society, and freedom of expression. The article concludes that B hutan has made good progress in democratization on many fronts but that its trajectory is unique, reflecting the particular context of B hutan and the overriding concern with stability in political and social life.