Democracy for Sale

Elections, Clientelism, and the State in Indonesia

Edward Aspinall, Ward Berenschot

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English

Cornell University Press
15 April 2019

Asian history; Elections & referenda; Political structures: democracy

Democracy for Sale is an on-the-ground account of Indonesian democracy, analyzing its election campaigns and behind-the-scenes machinations. Edward Aspinall and Ward Berenschot assess the informal networks and political strategies that shape access to power and privilege in the messy political environment of contemporary Indonesia.

In post-Suharto Indonesian politics the exchange of patronage for political support is commonplace. Clientelism, argue the authors, saturates the political system, and in Democracy for Sale they reveal the everyday practices of vote buying, influence peddling, manipulating government programs, and skimming money from government projects. In doing so, Aspinall and Berenschot advance three major arguments. The first argument points toward the role of religion, kinship, and other identities in Indonesian clientelism. The second explains how and why Indonesia's distinctive system of free-wheeling clientelism came into being. And the third argument addresses variation in the patterns and intensity of clientelism. Through these arguments and with comparative leverage from political practices in India and Argentina, Democracy for Sale provides compelling evidence of the importance of informal networks and relationships rather than formal parties and institutions in contemporary Indonesia.

By: Edward Aspinall, Ward Berenschot
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 907g
ISBN: 9781501732980
ISBN 10: 1501732986
Pages: 330
Publication Date: 15 April 2019
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of Tables and Figures Glossary Acknowledgments 1. Indonesia's Patronage Democracy 2. Capturing Varieties of Clientelism Part 1: INSTITUTIONS 3. Historical Origins of Free-Wheeling Clientelism 4. Electoral Institutions, Political Parties and Candidates Part 2: NETWORKS AND RESOURCES 5. Success Teams and Vote Buying 6. Social Networks and Club Goods Part 3: DISCRETIONARY CONTROL 7. Governance and Public Spending 8. Bureaucrats and the Power of Office Part 4: COMPARING ACROSS INDONESIA 9. Campaign Financing, Business and the Public Sphere 10. Explaining Variation in Indonesia's Patronage Democracy Conclusion: Clientelism and the Search for Good Governance Appendixes Notes References Index

Edward Aspinall is Professor of Politics at the Australian National University. He is the author of several books, among them Opposing Suharto and Islam and Nation, and the coedited volume Electoral Dynamics in Indonesia. Ward Berenschot is a researcher at KITLV Leiden and the author of Riot Politics and the co-edited volume In Search of Middle Indonesia.

Reviews for Democracy for Sale: Elections, Clientelism, and the State in Indonesia

A painstakingly researched examination of the way Indonesia has become a patronage democracy.... Aspinall and Berenschot's book shows how many has weakened political parties, ensures that personalities matter more than policy, favors incumbents, and almost forces politicians to become corrupt in order to recoup the expense of running for office. * New York Review of Books * Democracy for Sale offers deep insights into political life in Southeast Asia and fresh contributions to the age-old debate over whether true democracy, uncompromised by money and entrenched power, is ever possible. * Foreign Affairs *