A/Prof. Aim Sinpeng1
1University of Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Aim Sinpeng is Associate Professor in Comparative Politics and an ARC DECRA Fellow in the Discipline of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. Her teaching and research focus on the nexus between tech and politics, particularly in Southeast Asia. She is the author of the award-winning book, Opposing Democracy in the Digital Age: the Yellow Shirts in Thailand (University of Michigan Press, 2020) and has recently been named 70 Year, 70 People that Matter to Australia-Thailand relations by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She currently leads projects funded by Google and Meta examining mis/disinformation and algorithmic bias in Southeast Asia. She currently serves as the Senior Advisor to the Freedom House.
Abstract:
This panel explores the interplay between digital authoritarianism, political economy, and democratic decline, focusing on how emerging technologies and institutional practices are shaping contemporary authoritarian dynamics. Through diverse case studies spanning Iran, Southeast Asia, and international financial institutions, the panel examines how digital and economic dimensions of governance intersect to influence authoritarian resilience and democratic erosion.
The first paper investigates the political economy of digital authoritarianism in Iran, highlighting the continuities between traditional authoritarian economic structures and the implementation of digital surveillance and control. The second paper explores potential anti-authoritarian biases in the surveillance practices of international financial institutions, analyzing how regime type and democratic backsliding are addressed in economic oversight. The third paper focuses on Southeast Asia, examining how digital news organizations navigate state repression and self-censorship, while continuing to report on politically sensitive issues under the constant threat of surveillance. Finally, the fourth paper analyzes the political economy of professional election campaigns in Southeast Asia, revealing how opaque networks of PR firms and new digital tools are reshaping electoral politics to bolster neo-authoritarian leaders.
Together, these papers provide a comprehensive look at how digital technologies and economic structures interact to entrench authoritarianism and undermine democratic norms, offering critical insights into the challenges of promoting accountability and transparency in increasingly repressive political environments.