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Semarang, April 11, 2025 – The Department of Economics and Development Studies, Diponegoro University, is back with the latest episode of the UNDIP Economics Podcast, this time with an important and relevant topic: “Clientelism and Its Impact on Decentralization in Indonesia.”
Clientelism refers to the power relationship between political actors or rulers (patrons) and those who receive (clients), where the provision of political support is reciprocated with certain rewards or promises. This paternalistic relationship often appears ahead of elections, when the rulers mobilize the people’s votes in order to perpetuate or gain power through political promises.
This phenomenon is not just an ordinary political dynamic, but a form of political corruption that damages the foundations of democracy. In the context of Indonesia—as a relatively “young” country in the post-authoritarian democratization process—clientelism has a significant impact on the course of the decentralization system, especially in the relationship between the central and regional governments.
In this episode, the UNDIP Economics Podcast presents resource person Dr.rer.pol. Alfa Farah, S.E., M.Sc., a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Diponegoro University. He specifically reviewed how clientelism practices hinder the effectiveness of decentralization, create unequal distribution of resources, and damage the accountability of regional governments.
“When regional policies are more determined by political loyalty than by the needs of the community, decentralization loses its essence as an effort to equalize and democratize development,” explained Dr. Alfa Farah in the discussion.
This discussion opens up important insights into how transactional political practices are not only detrimental in the short term, but can also impact the quality of governance and the effectiveness of regional development in the long term.
🎙️ Listen to the full episode on Spotify via the following link:
👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5RFtssO2ZFg7NYIuYXcmFe?si=db14540b25f746e2
Keep following the UNDIP Economics Study Program’s social media at @economicsUNDIP.
“UNDIP Economics Podcast: Simplifying Theory, Exploring Phenomena!”
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