-
The Rules of the Game: Unpacking Patronage Politics in Yemen
- The Middle East Journal
- Middle East Institute
- Volume 64, Number 3, Summer 2010
- pp. 385-409
- Article
- Additional Information
This article examines the dynamics of autocracy in Yemen through the lens of elite bargaining and decision-making inside networks of patronage. It identifies the informal rules of inclusion, exclusion, rewards, and punishments that guide elite behavior and traces changing patterns of patronage distribution since 1994. In doing so, it provides insights into the survival of the Yemeni autocracy, the obstacles to reform, and potential opportunities to avert an impending crisis.