How Bureaucracy Affects Inequality in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia and the Philippines

• In Event: 131 - Section on Political Sociology Paper Session. Inequality and Representation

Abstract

The linkage between bureaucracy and inequality has infrequently been explored by social scientists. The aim of this paper is to build an analytical framework to examine the relationship between bureaucracy and inequality in democratic settings. The framework engages with previous studies on the relationship between democracy and inequality, state capacity and developmental outcome, and on the discussion about clientelism in democracies. This paper demonstrates that the transition to democracy does not necessarily transform detrimental institutions nor replace the existing official position of the previous bureaucracy. Focusing on the output side of the political system in which public officials exercise political authority, this research provides an empirical account of the causal effects of bureaucracy on inequality in the cases of post-authoritarian Indonesia and the Philippines. Results of the study suggest that it is important to consider the persistence of bureaucratic clientelism as a form of informal institution in understanding how bureaucracy affects inequality in Southeast Asian democracies.

Author

• Rahardhika Arista Utama, Northwestern University