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Are political parties the weak link in Indonesia’s young democracy? More pointedly, do they form a giant cartel to suck patronage resources from the state? Indonesian commentators almost invariably brand the country’s parties as corrupt, self-absorbed, and elitist, while most scholars argue that they are poorly institutionalized. This book tests such assertions by providing unprecedented and fine-grained analysis of the inner workings of Indonesian parties, and by comparing them to their equivalents in other new democracies around the world. Contrary to much of the existing scholarship, the book finds that Indonesian parties are reasonably well institutionalized if compared to their counterparts in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and other parts of Asia. There is also little evidence that Indonesian parties are cartelized. But there is a significant flaw in the design of Indonesia’s party system: while most new democracies provide state funding to parties, Indonesia has opted to deny central party boards any meaningful subsidies. As a result, Indonesian parties face severe difficulties in financing their operations, leading them to launch predatory attacks on state resources and making them vulnerable to manipulation by oligarchic interests.

Table of Contents

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  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. 1-4
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-vi
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  1. List of Tables
  2. pp. vii-viii
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  1. Preface and Acknowledgements
  2. pp. ix-xvi
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  1. Glossary and Abbreviations
  2. pp. xvii-xxiv
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  1. Introduction: Political Parties in Indonesia: Domestic, Regional, and Global Patterns
  2. pp. 1-27
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  1. Chapter 1: Indonesia's Parties and Party Systems: A Historical and Analytical Overview
  2. pp. 28-58
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  1. Chapter 2: Parties and the State: Fusion or Struggle for Hegemony?
  2. pp. 59-87
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  1. Chapter 3: Parties and Society: Withdrawal or Ongoing Contestation?
  2. pp. 88-113
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  1. Chapter 4: Party Organization and Internal Democracy: Strong Leaders, Influential Branches, Marginalized Members
  2. pp. 114-141
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  1. Chapter 5: Inter-Party Competition in the Post-Suharto Polity: Elections, Coalitions, and Parliaments
  2. pp. 142-166
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  1. Chapter 6: The Postponed End of Ideology: Parties, Ideological Orientations, and Political Action
  2. pp. 167-191
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  1. Chapter 7: Assessing the Systemic Functionality of Indonesian Parties: Recruitment, Articulation, Participation, Communication
  2. pp. 192-214
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  1. Conclusion: Money, Ideology, and Party Politics in Indonesia: Between Local Contexts and Global Trends
  2. pp. 215-240
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  1. List of Interviewees
  2. pp. 241-244
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  1. Bibliography
  2. pp. 245-284
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 285-301
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