Abstract
After decades of authoritarian military control, in 2011 Myanmar transitioned to a partially democratic hybrid regime, with a democratically elected government sharing governmental authority with military leadership. This study investigates the tentative engagement of rural communities with Myanmar’s Union Government (UG) institutions during the 2011–2021 semi-democratic period. Focusing on the lowest administrative levels of government, the study considers new “democratic openings” wherein citizens as stakeholders sought to become part of decision-making concerning their community needs. The central argument is that governance-building in developing nations is usually tentative and incremental and does not meet the expectations of the international development community, which tends to simplistically dichotomise between “good” and “bad” governance. The study uses a multi-dimensional analytic approach that more thoroughly and realistically assesses the nature of grassroots governance development in a setting characterised by weak institutions and limited resources. The study demonstrates the usefulness of this approach in case studies in Myanmar’s Chin, Kayah, and Kayin states.
Published Version
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