Digital Campaigning and Political Finance in the Asia and the Pacific Region: A New Age for an Old Problem

Abstract

This report studies the intersection between digital campaigning in elections, and political finance and its regulation in the Asia and the Pacific region. In so doing, it connects the digital disruption with an existential threat to democracies across the world―money in politics. Political finance poses the danger of not only ‘policy capture’ but also, in worse scenarios, state capture by monied interests. The report maps out the nature and extent of digital campaigning in the Asia and the Pacific region, with a focus on five country case studies (Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan and Kyrgyzstan), and it studies the regulation of digital campaigning under political finance laws. It analyses the democratic implications of digital campaigning for political finance and its regulation. Recommendations are provided for regulating the nexus between digital campaigning and political finance to enhance the benefits of digital campaigning for democracies in the Asia and the Pacific region.