| ID | 139439 |
| Title Proper | In search of white elephants |
| Other Title Information | the political economy of resource income expenditure in East Timor |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Scambary, James |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | A little more than a decade after independence, the small island state of East Timor is exhibiting the hallmarks of a neo-patrimonialist state. Since 2008, utilizing its considerable oil reserves, the government has embarked on a major infrastructure development program. However, despite a complex regulatory regime to safeguard the quality and transparency of spending, these systems have been routinely bypassed by executive-style decision making and a variety of informal and sub-legal devices. Public funds have been channeled to clientelist networks via often controversial infrastructure projects or state employment. This article details the emergence of this state and explains how a command style of government and complex systems of reciprocal obligation embedded in an array of parallel, informal networks have undermined the foundations of a Weberian rational-legal state, with critical consequences for development and stability. |
| `In' analytical Note | Critical Asian Studies Vol. 47, No.2; Jun 2015: p.283-308 |
| Journal Source | Critical Asian Studies 2015-06 47, 2 |
| Key Words | Political Economy ; East Timor ; Neo - Patrimonialism ; Clientelism ; Timor - Leste ; Resource Income Expenditures |