Rate My Professor Stephen McCarthy

Stephen McCarthy is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University and a member of the Griffith Asia Institute. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Northern Illinois University, specializing in political theory, comparative politics, and the international relations of Southeast Asia. Prior to his current role, McCarthy served as a visiting fellow and visiting scholar at the East-West Center in Honolulu and the Royal University of Phnom Penh. He returned to Australia in 2005 following the completion of his doctoral studies.

McCarthy's research focuses on Southeast Asian politics, international relations, and the rule of law, with particular emphasis on transitional politics and political rhetoric in Myanmar (Burma), as well as the political economy of forestry governance in the Asia-Pacific region. He has published widely in prestigious international journals, including The Pacific Review, Asian Survey, Pacific Affairs, Democratization, and the International Political Science Review. His key monographs include The Political Theory of Tyranny in Singapore and Burma (Routledge, 2006), and he served as lead co-editor of Governance and Democracy in the Asia-Pacific: Political and Civil Society (Routledge, 2020). Other significant publications encompass 'The evolution of rule of law in Cambodia: Democratization without judicial reform?' (Democratization, 2017), 'Myanmar in 2016: Change and Slow Progress' (Asian Survey, 2017), 'Norm diffusion and the limits to forestry governance reform in Southeast Asia' (Australian Journal of International Affairs, 2014), and 'Partnerships of developmental pragmatism: greenwashing the Belt and Road Initiative in Myanmar' (Environmental Politics, 2025). McCarthy has contributed to the Griffith Asia Institute's Regional Outlook series, addressing topics such as civil society in Burma and prospects for justice and stability. He teaches courses including Democratisation and Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia (2015GIR), Democratisation, Business and Governance in Asia (7012GIR), and American Politics and Foreign Policy (3007GIR), and supervises higher degree research students on subjects like ethnic politics in Kachin State, Myanmar.