Clientelism, Social Policy, and the Quality of Democracy

This collection of excerpts examines the persistence of political clientelism in various developing democracies, exploring its impact on social policy and the quality of democracy. The authors analyze how clientelism manifests differently across diverse political and socioeconomic contexts—including Latin America, Africa, East Asia, and Eastern Europe—highlighting its evolution and adaptation to institutional reforms. Specific case studies are presented on Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and India, analyzing the interaction between clientelistic networks, social programs, and voter behavior. The analysis considers the role of state capacity, party systems, and citizen strategies in shaping the dynamics of clientelism, and ultimately questions the effectiveness of purely institutional approaches to curb its influence. You can listen and download our episodes for free on more than 10 different platforms: https://linktr.ee/book_shelter Get the Book now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Clientelism-Social-Policy-Quality-Democracy/dp/1421412292?&linkCode=ll1&tag=cvthunderx-20&linkId=407df05fd6ca68edf23202c380082dc4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Produced by: https://www.podcaistudio.com/