Ordering Power 1st (first) editon Text Only

Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics

by Dan Slater

Like the postcolonial world more generally, Southeast Asia exhibits tremendous variation in state capacity and authoritarian durability. Ordering Power draws on theoretical insights dating back to Thomas Hobbes to develop a unified framework for explaining both of these political outcomes. States are especially strong and dictatorships especially durable when they have their origins in "protection pacts": broad elite coalitions unified by shared support for heightened state power and tightened authoritarian controls as bulwarks against especially threatening and challenging types of contentious politics. These coalitions provide the elite collective action underpinning strong states, robust ruling parties, cohesive militaries, and durable authoritarian regimes - all at the same time. Comparative-historical analysis of seven Southeast Asian countries (Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Vietnam, and Thailand) reveals that subtly divergent patterns of contentious politics after World War II provide the best explanation for the dramatic divergence in Southeast Asia's contemporary states and regimes.

Genres: Politics, Political Science, Asia, Nonfiction, History

Paperback

First published July 31, 2010

Reviews

[Sultan Alamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب يحاول تحليل مجموعة من الانظمة السياسية في جنوب شرق اسيا- ماليزيا، اندونيسيا، الفلبين، بورما، جنوب فيتنام...- باقتراح نموذج تفسيري يركز على اللحظة التأسيسية باعتبار أن كل ما يتبعها نابع منها. تبدأ هذه اللحظة التأسيسية بعد نهاية الحرب العالمية الثانية وانسحاب اليابان من كافة هذه الدول. في هذه اللحظة واجهت هذه الدول تهديدا مشتركا من الحركات الشيوعية، فتشكلت تحالفات معينة لمواجهة هذا التهديد، وبحسب التحالف التأسيسي وقوته وصلابتها يتم تفسير كافة التغيرات في هذا البلد أو ذاك.

[TH Koh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple language, clear arguments, illustrative examples. This book hands-down saved me for my college module on SEA Politics.

[Jason Friedlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely ambitious book of political theory that attempts to explain the divergent durability of authoritarian states as a function of the contexts in which their elite coalitions were formed post-WW2. I was really impressed by the book’s scope and its rigorous analyses of its three main countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I learned a lot.

The only reason why I’m not giving it a higher score is that I wasn’t fully convinced with the last chapters, in which Slater extends his theory to the political histories of a slew of other countries from all around the world, not because I noticed any discrepancies, but because it felt like he was needlessly overplaying his hand. I’d rather just have another book that examines those regions using the same lens than have them rushed through at the end of this one.

Still, I think this is a very important book that really adds to the understanding of the region and shouldn’t be missed by anyone interested in Southeast Asian studies.

[Dominic Geraghty]

Great book about alternative governance systems for rapidly growing small economies

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great study that looks at how authoritarian governments come to pass in Southeast Asia. The author argues that Southeast Asian states elite classes respond collectively to the threat of urban contentious politics that leads to a protection pact (like what a business might pay to the mafia for protection) that allows an authoritarian leviathan to come to pass. It's a pity that the author did not include Laos and Cambodia into his arguments, even as failed cases, but the book is remarkable in its depth and breadth.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the subject of this book, however, I felt I needed a degree to fully comprehend it.