Political Party and Party System Institutionalisation in Southeast Asia
Author(s)
Ufen, Andreas
Abstract
It is generally acknowledged that a higher degree of party and party system institutionalization is positively correlated with the consolidation of democracy. It is, thus, useful to compare different levels and types of institutionalization. In this article the distinction made by Levitsky (‘value infusion’ vs. ‘behavioral routinization’) with reference to party institutionalization will be employed. Moreover, institutionalized party systems are characterized, according to Mainwaring and Torcal, by ‘stability of interparty competition’. The empirical research of this paper finds that the early organizational consolidation of social cleavages, such as in Indonesia, enhances institutionalization. Furthermore, the relation between central and local elites appears to be essential: strong bosses or clique undermine institutionalization in the Philippines and in Thailand respectively. Most Indonesian parties are better institutionalized that those in the Philippines and Thailand with reference to ‘value infusion’. In addition the party system in Indonesia is better institutionalized in terms of ‘stability of interparty competition’.
