Perception Evolution of Military Leadership in the Democratic Transition: Focusing on Myanmar's Democratization

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01470
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 06010:Politics-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: ZHANG YUN 新潟大学, 教育基盤機構, 准教授 (70447613)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 民主化 / 認知 / 政権中枢 / 軍事政権 / ミャンマー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Why did the Myanmar military junta relinquish its power voluntarily in 2010? The existing literature mainly focuses on the structural elements and employs power-based approach.　This research, based on the perception change and　democratization theories, has been conducted with the nexus of domestic politics and diplomacy. It establishes a theoretical of perception change and investigated the perception evolution of the military junta since 1990.The qualitative fieldwork includes direct interviews with former top military government leaders, who provide valuable insights into the decision-making logic at the highest level. It clarified the mechanism of the leadership’s perception change.

Free Research Field

国際関係

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は今までの民主化に関する研究の構造的な要因、power-basedアプローチの視点から一線を画し、政権内部の認知変化を焦点に当てるidea-basedアプローチへを転換した。実証研究部分では、ミャンマー民主化における当時の政権中枢の当事者への直接聞き取り調査によって、内的なロジックを真正面から探り、民主化における政権中枢の認知転換のメカニズムを解明した。民主化における政権中枢の認知の転換のメカニズムの解明は、今後ミャンマー再民主化において、国内要因と国際要因の相互作用及び認知の転換への理解について実務的・社会的な意義がある。