Researcher Profile

  • Senior Lecturer, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University

  • Authoritarian politics, democratisation, dictators, election observation, Southeast Asian politics

  • Authoritarian politics, democratisation, dictators, election observation, Southeast Asian politics


  • The Rise of Sophisticated Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020).

    Behind the Façade: Elections under Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia (Albany: SUNY Press, 2016).

    “Election Turnout in Authoritarian Regimes,” Electoral Studies, Vol. 68 (2020): 1-11 (with Ferran Martinez i Coma).

    “The Menu of Autocratic Innovation,” Democratization, Vol. 27, No. 6 (2020): 1053-1072.

    “Cambodia’s Transition to Hegemonic Authoritarianism,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 30, No. 1 (2019): 158-171.

    “Elections as Causes of Democratization: Southeast Asia in Comparative Perspective,” Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 52, No. 1 (2019): 3-35 (with Thomas Pepinsky).

    “Misclassification on the Mekong: The Origins of Hun Sen’s Personalist Dictatorship,” Democratization, Vol. 25, No. 2 (2018): 192-208.

    “Out of the Shadows: Authoritarian Regimes, Flawed Elections and International Legitimation,” Contemporary Politics, Vol. 23, No. 3 (2017): 328-347 (with Maria Debre).

    “The Autocratic Mandate: Elections, Legitimacy and Regime Stability in Singapore,” The Pacific Review, Vol. 30, No. 2 (2017): 205-231.

    “Elections in Hybrid Regimes: Conceptual Stretching Revived,” Political Studies, Vol. 62, No. 1 (2014): 21-36.

  • Disinformation and Social Cohesion. Radicalisation And Extremism, and Insider Threats


  • Twitter Handle     @LMorgenbesser
    Email Address l.morgenbesser@griffith.edu.au

 

Lee Morgenbesser

Overview

Lee Morgenbesser is a senior lecturer with the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University and a former recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award (2018-2020). His latest book is The Rise of Sophisticated Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020) and his research has appeared in the likes of Comparative Political Studies, Democratisation, Electoral Studies, Journal of Democracy, Political Studies and The Pacific Review. A regular contributor to international media outlets, he has been invited to present his research at the Council on Foreign Relations, European Parliament, National Endowment for Democracy, United States Department of State as well as the United States Agency for International Development. His research areas are authoritarian politics, dictators, democratisation, election observation and Southeast Asian politics.