No Clear Link Between Social Cohesion and Govt Type in S-E Asia

Quality of governance appears to play a more decisive role in strengthening unity, says study

- Goh Yan Han

While Western research shows that democracies with more civil liberties tend to be more united, South-east Asia goes against the grain.

Here, there is no clear link between social cohesion and type of government, a study has found.

Instead, the quality of governance—especially traits such as integrity and being free from corruption—appears to play a more decisive role.

This was among the findings of researchers from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in their South-east Asian Social Cohesion Radar preliminary report released on June 26.

The report, which covered all 10 Asean states, also made recommendations for countries to strengthen social cohesion.

The region has a variety of governance structures, such as neo-liberal democracies and top-down paternalistic states, researchers noted.

This difference from Western findings reaffirms the need for research with a more local or regional lens, said Dr Leong Chan Hoong, who hopes to conduct another study in 2028.

Dr Leong, a senior fellow at RSIS and head of its Social Cohesion Research Programme, presented the findings at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies on June 25.

The conference invited participants from over 50 countries, including those in South-east Asia, to discuss multiculturalism.

The study surveyed about 1,000 people each from the 10 Asean states, and compared each country's social cohesion score—calculated from responses to 60 statements—against various socio-economic factors.

The score covers three areas—social relations, or the relationships between individuals and groups in society; connectedness, or the relationship between individuals, communities and the state; and focus on the common good, which covers solidarity, respect and civic participation.