This book provides a comprehensive empirical and theoretical analysis of the development of parties and party systems in Asia. The studies included advance a unique perspective in the literature by focusing on the concept of institutionalization and by analyzing parties in democratic settings as well as in authoritarian settings. The countries covered in the book range from East Asia to Southeast Asia to South Asia.

1. Introduction: rethinking party system institutionalization in Asia Allen Hicken and Erik Martinez Kuhonta; 2. The antidemocratic potential of party system institutionalization: Malaysia as morality tale? Meredith L. Weiss; 3. Institutionalized succession and hegemonic party cohesion in Singapore Netina Tan; 4. Party system institutionalization in Japan Kenneth Mori McElwain; 5. Long in the making: Taiwan's institutionalized party system Tun-jen Cheng and Yung-min Hsu; 6. The making and unmaking of the Communist Party and the single-party system of Vietnam Tuong Vu; 7. The institutionalization of the Communist Party and the party system in China Yongnian Zheng; 8. Party system institutionalization in India Csaba Nikolenyi; 9. Party and party system institutionalization in Cambodia Sorpong Peou; 10. Explaining party system institutionalization in Indonesia Paige Johnson Tan; 11. South Korea's weakly institutionalized party system Joseph Wong; 12. Thailand's feckless parties and party system: a path-dependent analysis Erik Martinez Kuhonta; 13. Party and party system institutionalization in the Philippines Allen Hicken; 14. Party system institutionalization: reflections based on the Asian cases Scott Mainwaring.