ABOUT IDEA
Project Goal
The IDEA is a research project that address issues concerning disinformation and democracy in East Asia. In
light of drastic changes in information environment that voters face, we explore questions such as:
- • What are the nature of election-related dis/misinformation in Asia?
- • How do dis/misinformation affect political polarization and democratic backsliding?
- • What can be done to minimize the effects of dis/misinformation?
The project assembles scholars from diverse disciplines to tackle these questions. Our empirical studies
primarily focus on Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. The project is divided into four
clusters to address this project's questions in a comprehensive and comparative manner.
Details of each cluster are provided below.
Organizational Structure
Fact-finding
Survey research
Theoretical analysis
Policy recommendations
Cluster A (Fact-finding)
This cluster employs AI and human coding to detect, classify, and create databases on election-related dis/misinformation on four countries studied in this project.
Cluster B (Survey research)
This cluster uses survey methods to explore the relationship between dis/misinformation and voter attitudes.
Cluster C (Theoretical analysis)
This cluster has two subcomponents. The first subcomponent team members in the first component employ formal models and laboratory experiments to study why the mechanisms in which people believe and spread dis/misinformation. The second component explores how democratic theory can incorporate the contemporary information environment surrounding voters.
Cluster D (Policy recommendations)
This cluster aims to explore policy measures that can be taken to prevent the spread of dis/misinformation.
Funders
-
Japan Promotion of Social Sciences (2023.7-2029.3)
-
Keio University (Next Generation Research Grant, 2023-2026)
