Political Patronage in Asian Bureaucracies

The book explores how politicians use discretionary powers to appoint individuals to key positions in the public sector. It compares this practice across Asia: Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

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.