Electoral Dynamics in the Philippines: Money Politics, Patronage and Clientelism at the Grassroots

Abstract

The role of clientelism, political machines, and money politics in grassroots electioneering in the Philippines is much discussed, but rarely studied in detail. Combining in-depth ethnographic fieldwork in localities across the Philippines during the 2016 election, with polling data, and offering national comparative scope, this study sheds light on the organisation of elections and electioneering across the Philippines.

How do candidates choose to appeal to voters to get out the vote? How do voters respond to different kinds of appeals? How important are patronage and clientelism? What are the networks within which patronage is delivered? What do political machines look like in elections influenced by social media? The book identifies commonalities and differences across the Philippines while speaking to current debates in the political science literature about elections in developing democracies, the structure and organisation of clientelism, and the role of money in elections.