Abstract:
The term ‘money politics’ is widely used throughout Southeast Asia, commonly as a vague but derisive label for political practices deemed unsavoury and in need of reform. But what is it, exactly, and how does it vary from one setting to another? Why is it important and what are its impacts? Throughout the region, large sums of patronage—particularistic benefits, including cash, goods, appointments, or other rewards—are distributed via clientelist and other political networks. Sometimes illegal or illicit, other times above-ground and tacitly condoned, such practices span the electoral cycle and deeply affect the quality and character of governance, democratic structures, and national integration.
In this talk, Hutchcroft will provide an overview of a major collaborative research project on money politics in Southeast Asia that traces the character, causes and implications of patronage in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. He will pay particular attention to the May 2013 Philippine midterm elections and conclude by exploring prospects for political reform in the Philippines.
Short Bio:
Paul Hutchcroft is a scholar of comparative and Southeast Asian politics who has written extensively on Philippine politics and political economy. He is currently serving as Lead Governance Specialist with the Australian Embassy in Manila, providing advice to the Australian aid program in the fields of political economy, subnational governance, and institutional reform. Hutchcroft assumed this post in October 2013, and is on leave from his position as Professor of Political and Social Change at the Australian National University. From 2009 to 2013, he served as founding Director of the School of International, Political and Strategic Studies in the ANU’s College of Asia and the Pacific.
In this seminar, Prof. Hutchcroft discussed the form and impact of "money politics" as practiced in Southeast Asia. Patronage (whether it be in the form of cash, goods, appointments or other means) spans electoral cycles and deeply affects the quality and character of governance, democratic structures, and national integration of countries in the region. Prof. Hutchcroft provided an overview of a major collaborative research project on money politics in Southeast Asia that traces the character, causes and implications of patronage in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. He focused on the May 2013 Philippine midterm elections and concluded by exploring prospects for political reform in the Philippines.
