Localising Power in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia: A Southeast Asia Perspective

Hadiz (sociology, National U. of Singapore) contributes to the literature on how the global integration of capitalist commerce is accompanied by demands for increased local autonomy in the social, economic, and cultural fields by looking at the process in Indonesia. He argues that the heavily centralized authoritarianism of the New Order left little room for the emergence of relatively autonomous local strongmen, as has been seen often in other parts of the region such as Thailand and Philippines. At the same time, he says, these three countries share the puzzle that the localization of power has not led to more fundamental transformations in the prevailing relations of power. Among his topics are technocratic ambitions and the challenge of predatory power, a political sociology of local elites, money politics and thuggery in new local democracies, and the politics of inclusion and exclusion. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)