Corruption in Comparison: Clientelism, Nepotism, and Coups D'état in Southeast Asian Politics

Abstract

Political corruption takes many forms across different countries and regions. The types of corruption that occur in American politics are drastically different from the clientelism, nepotism, and corrupt electoral practices that are seen in the developing world. This chapter will analyze three distinct cases of political corruption in Southeast Asian politics: clientelism in Cambodia, nepotism in Thailand, and the 2021 coup d'état in Myanmar. All three cases highlight the unique challenges facing developing democracies and reveal that, while political corruption affects all countries to a degree, distinct regional and cultural differences produce different forms of corruption in Southeast Asia than in the United States.

Citation

Loring, N. (2022), "Corruption in Comparison: Clientelism, Nepotism, and Coups D'état in Southeast Asian Politics", Pomante, M.J. (Ed.) Scandal and Corruption in Congress, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 239-260. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-119-920221019