The Trap of Neo-patrimonialism: Social Accountability and Good Governance in Cambodia
Apstrakt
In this article, we analyse the social accountability (SA) mechanisms that have recently been established in Cambodia. These initiatives take place in a socio-political context marked by pervasive neo-patrimonial structures. Our focus is on the strategies implemented by state actors, CSOs and ordinary citizens (mediated by neo-patrimonial structures) - strategies that demonstrate a neo-patrimonial trap into which SA initiatives have fallen, whereby official institutions and accountability lines have been undermined. These strategies are: to focus SA activities on local level authorities who have no means or power to introduce changes in governance or to improve public services, and to allow SA practices to emerge only to the extent that they do not threaten actual authoritarian distribution of power, norms and practices of clientelistic exchange, and the benefits obtained through patron-client relations. As a result, citizens have not been empowered to demand accountability but, parado...xically, have been encouraged to take over some government responsibilities. This, in turn, strengthens the networks of clientelism and patronage. These insights indicate the weak potential of externally-imposed SA mechanisms in an authoritarian and neo-patrimonial setting in which the government is only partly committed to achieving accountability. The findings are based on a two-year study conducted using a combination of qualitative sociological methods and an ethnographic approach.
Ključne reči:
Social accountability / rule of law / neo-patrimonialism / government accountability / civil society / Cambodia / authoritarian clientelismIzvor:
Asian Studies Review, 2018, 42, 1, 144-160Izdavač:
- Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon
Finansiranje / projekti:
- London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) within the framework of the LSE Justice and Security Research Program
- Asian Foundation (TAF)
DOI: 10.1080/10357823.2017.1414773
ISSN: 1035-7823
WoS: 000425360500009
Scopus: 2-s2.0-85042156058
Kolekcije
Institucija/grupa
Pravni fakultet / Faculty of Law University of BelgradeTY - JOUR AU - Vuković, Danilo AU - Babović, Marija PY - 2018 UR - https://ralf.ius.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1009 AB - In this article, we analyse the social accountability (SA) mechanisms that have recently been established in Cambodia. These initiatives take place in a socio-political context marked by pervasive neo-patrimonial structures. Our focus is on the strategies implemented by state actors, CSOs and ordinary citizens (mediated by neo-patrimonial structures) - strategies that demonstrate a neo-patrimonial trap into which SA initiatives have fallen, whereby official institutions and accountability lines have been undermined. These strategies are: to focus SA activities on local level authorities who have no means or power to introduce changes in governance or to improve public services, and to allow SA practices to emerge only to the extent that they do not threaten actual authoritarian distribution of power, norms and practices of clientelistic exchange, and the benefits obtained through patron-client relations. As a result, citizens have not been empowered to demand accountability but, paradoxically, have been encouraged to take over some government responsibilities. This, in turn, strengthens the networks of clientelism and patronage. These insights indicate the weak potential of externally-imposed SA mechanisms in an authoritarian and neo-patrimonial setting in which the government is only partly committed to achieving accountability. The findings are based on a two-year study conducted using a combination of qualitative sociological methods and an ethnographic approach. PB - Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon T2 - Asian Studies Review T1 - The Trap of Neo-patrimonialism: Social Accountability and Good Governance in Cambodia EP - 160 IS - 1 SP - 144 VL - 42 DO - 10.1080/10357823.2017.1414773 UR - conv_2981 ER -
@article{ author = "Vuković, Danilo and Babović, Marija", year = "2018", abstract = "In this article, we analyse the social accountability (SA) mechanisms that have recently been established in Cambodia. These initiatives take place in a socio-political context marked by pervasive neo-patrimonial structures. Our focus is on the strategies implemented by state actors, CSOs and ordinary citizens (mediated by neo-patrimonial structures) - strategies that demonstrate a neo-patrimonial trap into which SA initiatives have fallen, whereby official institutions and accountability lines have been undermined. These strategies are: to focus SA activities on local level authorities who have no means or power to introduce changes in governance or to improve public services, and to allow SA practices to emerge only to the extent that they do not threaten actual authoritarian distribution of power, norms and practices of clientelistic exchange, and the benefits obtained through patron-client relations. As a result, citizens have not been empowered to demand accountability but, paradoxically, have been encouraged to take over some government responsibilities. This, in turn, strengthens the networks of clientelism and patronage. These insights indicate the weak potential of externally-imposed SA mechanisms in an authoritarian and neo-patrimonial setting in which the government is only partly committed to achieving accountability. The findings are based on a two-year study conducted using a combination of qualitative sociological methods and an ethnographic approach.", publisher = "Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon", journal = "Asian Studies Review", title = "The Trap of Neo-patrimonialism: Social Accountability and Good Governance in Cambodia", pages = "160-144", number = "1", volume = "42", doi = "10.1080/10357823.2017.1414773", url = "conv_2981" }
Vuković, D.,& Babović, M.. (2018). The Trap of Neo-patrimonialism: Social Accountability and Good Governance in Cambodia. in Asian Studies Review Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, Abingdon., 42(1), 144-160. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2017.1414773 conv_2981
Vuković D, Babović M. The Trap of Neo-patrimonialism: Social Accountability and Good Governance in Cambodia. in Asian Studies Review. 2018;42(1):144-160. doi:10.1080/10357823.2017.1414773 conv_2981 .
Vuković, Danilo, Babović, Marija, "The Trap of Neo-patrimonialism: Social Accountability and Good Governance in Cambodia" in Asian Studies Review, 42, no. 1 (2018):144-160, https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2017.1414773 ., conv_2981 .