Presidentialism and Democracy in East and Southeast Asia

"This book offers important insights into the operation of presidentialism. As the editors point out, cases from East and Southeast Asia are very infrequently invoked in theoretical discussions of presidentialism. By offering theoretically informed analyses of these cases, this book begins to bridge a gaping empirical lacuna and will significantly advance our understanding of how presidential institutions work. It is a welcome addition to the literature on presidentialism." - José Antonio Cheibub, Texas A&M University, USA

"This is an important book. The analyses of six presidential and semi-presidential systems are of particular importance for the discussion about the current state of democracy and its future prospects in East and Southeast Asia. The case studies in this volume shows the virtues of empirical analysis of formal political institutions that takes context into account, avoids simplistic generalizations and shows how rich and varied constitutional norms, democratic procedures and informal institutions can be in this part of the world. The editors and the authors are to be much congratulated for bringing these neglected cases to the attention of presidentialism studies." - Aurel Croissant, Heidelberg University, Germany