Explores how political actors engage in patronage practices across a rich variety of regime types in Asia.

Political patronage is defined as political actors appointing individuals at their discretion to key positions in the public sector. The book examines this practice in the bureaucracies of 11 Asian countries through the use of a typological framework of patronage types. The framework is based on two key criteria: basis of trust and the major role of political appointees. Several countries with well-developed civil service systems showed minimal levels of patronage (Japan, Singapore and South Korea). Two countries with a weak civil service showed very high levels of patronage appointments (Bangladesh and India). Sandwiched between those extremes are countries with formal civil service systems that are heavily influenced by political parties and by social ties to society (Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and China). The book concludes that not all patronage is the same and what is important is the tasks being performed by appointees and the nature of the trust relationship.

Journal of international development.

With The Restoration Of Multi-Party Democracies In Nepal, Bangladesh And Pakistan (Pakistan Has Recently Returned To Military Rule) And India And Sri Lanka Being The Democracies Of Long Standing; South Asia Has Now Emerged As A Region Having An Extraordinary Democratic Environment.The Present Volume Consists Of The Papers Written By Eminent Scholars As Professor Anirudha Gupta, Professor S.K. Jha And Dr. B.C. Utreti On The Various Facets In General And India And Nepal In Particular. The Volume Will Be Of Great Use For Those Scholars Who Are Interested In The Theoretical And Operational Aspects Of Democracy In South Axis.

This book provides a state-of-the-art review of Southeast Asian political studies through a dialogue involving theoretical analysis, area studies, and qualitative methodology.