実証政治学ワークショップのご案内（Workshop Announcement: June 10, 15:05-）

Research Seminar 

The Broker’s Dilemma: Civil Society in Coups Against Young Democracies

When: June 10 (Wednesday), 15:05 ~ 16:45

Where: Building #26, Rm. 302, Waseda University (Waseda Campus)

The Broker’s Dilemma: Civil Society in Coups Against Young Democracies    Aries A. Arugay

Talk Summary:
Why do civil society organizations — the very actors presumed to defend democracy — sometimes spearhead the removal of elected governments? The Broker’s Dilemma argues that civil society coups succeed when civic organizations perform a brokerage function: translating mass protest into elite defection by providing credible commitments, negotiation infrastructure, certification signals, and cross-language translation across incompatible political audiences. Drawing on comparative cases from the Philippines, Thailand, Venezuela, and Bolivia, the book shows that the organizational capacity enabling the coup simultaneously undermines democracy afterward — depleting bridging social capital, delegitimizing constitutional institutions, and normalizing extra-constitutional templates for future challengers. This broker’s dilemma reveals a tragic irony at the heart of democratic politics: civil society’s organizational strength plants the seeds of democratic backsliding.

Presenter Bio:
Aries A. Arugay is Visiting Research Scholar at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University. He is also Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman and Editor-in-Chief of Asian Politics & Policy. Aries is Visiting Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Philippine Studies Programme at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore). He is co-editor of Games, Changes & Fears: The Philippines from Duterte to Marcos Jr. (ISEAS, 2024) and The Routledge Handbook of Security Sector Reform (2026). His research has been published in International Affairs, American Behavioral Scientist, Pacific Affairs, and Journal of Development Studies, etc.

Contact:  Yuko Kasuya ([email protected])