This research grant (tokutei B) from Waseda University provided financial support for my research project on democratic accountability.  The goal of this project is to improve understanding of the deficit of accountability faced by many relatively young democracies in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Although free and fair elections occur with regular frequency in these countries, democratic elections do not in and of themselves guarantee accountability.  Accountability means that political leaders, once elected, remain responsive to their constituents and do not abuse their powers in office. This research project investigates, in particular, the relationship between the media and government accountability, highlighting diminished media freedom as both a consequence, and a cause, of accountability deficits in democracies.

The grant funded travel to California, where I met my collaborator on this project, and together we consulted with professors of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  I also participated in the Western Political Science Association conference in San Diego, California. My co-author and I presented our research findings from this project and met with a book publisher to discuss our manuscript on media freedom and presidential accountability in Latin America.