Majoritarian and Consensus Democracy, Electoral Systems, and Democratic Consolidation in Asia

This article examines the role of the electoral system as an element of consensus and majoritarian democracy in seven Asian countries. More specifically, it inquires about the types of democracy in Asia, how the electoral system affects the majoritarian or consensus character of democracies, and the ways in which electoral systems have an impact on the consolidation of majoritarian or consensus democracies. To illuminate these three questions the paper compares six young democracies in Asia-Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand-and contrasts them with Japan, an old and consolidated democracy.