The State and Dgtl Governance in Southeast Asia: Internet Control and Democracy

This important volume offers a critical examination of how Southeast Asian states utilise dgtl governance to improve public services, democracy, and service delivery, while maintaining control over their populations through, among other methods, dgtl surveillance and internet control.Through a series of case studies, the book explores key themes such as regulatory frameworks, state strategies, and societal responses to dgtl governance. It examines Malaysia's balancing act between regulation and repression, Singapore's Smart Nation vision, and Indonesia's ambitious yet authoritarian e-democracy initiatives. The book also delves into the challenges faced by countries such as Brunei and Cambodia, where dgtl governance is used by the respective regimes to manage misinformation and dissent. Employing diverse methodologies, including content analysis, elite interviews, and social network analysis, the chapters provide a nuanced understanding of how dgtl governance shapes political, social, and economic landscapes in the region. Truly comprehensive in its approach, the book covers contexts and circumstances present in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, and Myanmar.This book will be essential for scholars and postgraduate students studying the overlap between politics and technology, dgtl governance, Southeast Asian studies, and authoritarianism more broadly. Public policy students looking to understand the implications of dgtl governance for democracy and internet freedom will also benefit from the book.

About the Author

A'an Suryana is Associate Professor of Political Science at Faculty of Social Sciences (FOSS), Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII), Depok, Indonesia. He is also Visiting Senior Fellow at Regional Social and Cultural Studies Programme (RSCS), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) - Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. He completed his Ph.D. in Asian studies at Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia, in 2018. His research interests include dgtl governance, nationalism, political Islam, contentious politics, social movements, identity and democratic citizenship, and international relations theories. Besides working as lecturer and researcher, he has occasionally served as research consultant for local and international organisations such as the Indonesian Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform, Jakarta Provincial Government, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Search for Common Ground, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - the United States Agency for International Development (ASEAN-USAID) Prospect Project.