The course is designed to provide both a conceptual understanding of democratic theories and an empirical knowledge of experiences of democratic transition and consolidation in a number of different Asian countries. It will investigate different forms of democracy, focussing particularly in new- or late-democratizing countries of East and Southeast Asia. The course begins by looking at the various models of democracy, and the tension between institutional and societal-based theories of democratic change. The course will then apply these theories to Southeast Asia, examining the role of formal democratic institutions, the processes of democratic consolidation, and the relationship between democracy and development.