This book explores the challenges that a variety of contemporary and intersecting crises have posed, and continue to create, for the functioning of governments in Asia. These include the COVID-19 pandemic as well as those that impact the ability of Asian countries to govern effectively, notably the spread of misinformation and a growing societal distrust in democracy and expertise.

To this end, the book comprises two types of chapters. National case studies from across the region dissect the constitutional, political and institutional arrangements in a wide range of Asian countries that have paved the way for policies that have led to, exacerbated or addressed the crises faced. These case studies are preceded by conceptual chapters that explore the nature of the various kinds of crises and their potential to influence governance and democratic practices in Asia. Taken together, the contributions invite careful reflection on the future direction, scope and shape of democracy in a region that is characterised by rapid economic and social change as well as enduring regime pluralism, being home to liberal democracies, military-dominated governments, autocracies and more.

Written by scholars with a deep understanding of the dynamics of Asian legal orders, this book contributes to the growing body of works devoted to constitutional experiences in the Global South and offers critical insights into the operation and thinking of governments in the face of a multitude of modern-day challenges.

Maartje De Visser is Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University, Singapore.
Po Jen Yap is Professor of Law at The University of Hong Kong, UK.