Strengthening social democratic alternatives in Asia: developing inclusive social democracy programs

Full-fledged democracy is sparse on the Asian continent and in a majority of countries, authoritarian regimes of different guises hold power. With some exceptions, the political sphere is saturated with corruption and the state is effectively used by the elites as an instrument to suppress the flourishing of a viable opposition. In addition to an oppressive political environment, ideologically rooted parties and the demand for these are not widespread, which further diminishes the possibility of creating popular democratic movements that can challenge incumbent regimes. However, Asia is also a region currently experiencing a great cultural, economic, and social evolution, and therefore there are opportunities of pushing this evolution in a democratic direction. 

The aim of the partnership project between the Social Democratic Party in Denmark (SDP) and The Network for Social Democracy in Asia (like-minded organisations and parties) is to strengthen SocDem Asia through inclusive policy development and by promoting social democratic thinking and practices to offer an alternative to the dominant elitist and populist order. As a regional network, with members from more than 13 countries in South and Southeast Asia the partnership seeks to strengthen SocDem Asia as a social democratic platform for a reimagining and rethinking of the Asian social and welfare state. The partnership focuses on partners in Nepal, the Philippines and Myanmar.  

The aim of the network, aside from showcasing the best practices of social democratic governance, is to build up the capacities of its individual member parties in order to better articulate their policies, strengthen their political clout, and develop working alternatives to their current political situations.  

The partnership works on sharing experiences through Regional Conferences with all SocDem members, regional training sessions on inclusive policy. Also, the network works together on publications on Social Democratic policy and creating online regional campaigns on the Asian social and welfare state.

The member parties from Nepal, Myanmar and the Philippines have organised large-scale national inclusive policy development workshops, where party members, sector groups and local experts have developed Social Democratic policy papers on either healthcare or education, as part of the broader regional work in the network to reimagine an Asian welfare society.