Meredith Weiss provides a timely analysis of regime durability in Singapore and Malaysia. While the longevity of authoritarian regimes has long been a topic of study in comparative politics, Weiss manages to contribute to the literature through her study of “grassroots” politics. She posits that the way local politics is structured in the two countries results in “authoritarian acculturation,” or citizens accepting the rules of the game as determined by the ruling parties (2). The book makes three main arguments. First, the way the dominant party maintains power inadvertently shapes how its opponents act; second, local governments sustain the regime by maintaining the regime's dominance but also shape how citizens expect their elected officials to behave; and third, individual-level clientelism, though hierarchical, is an important factor contributing to regime durability. Weiss limits her analysis to hybrid or electoral authoritarian regimes, where considerations may be different from “pure” authoritarian countries.1...
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Book Review|
August 01 2023
The Roots of Resilience: Party Machines and Grassroots Politics in Singapore and Malaysia
The Roots of Resilience: Party Machines and Grassroots Politics in Singapore and Malaysia
. By Meredith Weiss. Ithaca, NY
: Cornell University Press
, 2020
. 271
pp. ISBN: 9781501750069.
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah
Nanyang Technological University [email protected]
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Journal of Asian Studies (2023) 82 (3): 522–524.
Citation
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah; The Roots of Resilience: Party Machines and Grassroots Politics in Singapore and Malaysia. Journal of Asian Studies 1 August 2023; 82 (3): 522–524. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00219118-10849882
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