Inclusive Governance and Ambedkar’s Vision: Reviewing Cambodia’s Political Development, Youth Empowerment, and Sustainable Democracy

Abstract This current study explores Cambodia’s evolving political development and its efforts toward inclusive governance. It synthesizes recent progress across key sectors, including youth empowerment, gender equity, education reform, cultural revival, economic diversification, and environmental sustainability, while assessing how these transformations reflect broader shifts in governance priorities within a hybrid political system. Following the 2023 generational transition, Cambodia has embarked on a new political trajectory that emphasizes modernization, equity, and diplomatic engagement. The administration’s pentagonal strategy highlights national goals such as human capital development, digital economy growth, climate resilience, and public service reform. This argues that while the structural dominance of the ruling party persists, there are tangible indicators of policy innovations, civic inclusion, and technocratic governance. Through the lens of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s democratic philosophy, anchored in education, dignity, participation, and justice, the review offers normative framework to assess Cambodia’s current political maturity. It explores how Ambedkarite values resonate within Cambodia’s efforts to foster youth political participation, expand gender-sensitive institutions, democratize education, and pursue environmental stewardship rooted in local agency. The study also identifies key challenges to inclusive governance, including youth unemployment, digital rights restrictions. Methodologically, the review draws on policy documents, NGO reports, academic literature, and comparative frameworks to provide a multidisciplinary analysis, including positioning Cambodia as a model of adaptive governance in Southeast Asia, one where developmental political system, elite continuity, and bottom-up social mobilization interact in dynamic and sometimes contradictory ways. This contributes to the broader field of political science by emphasizing the importance of studying emerging democracies through interdisciplinary, postcolonial, and ethically grounded lenses. Cambodia’s experience offers critical lessons for transitional states navigating the tension between centralized power and inclusive political renewal.