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Peasant Society and Clientelist Politics

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  • Powell, John Duncan

Abstract

The basic social relations of peasant life are directly related to an environment characterized by extreme scarcity. The major factor of productive wealth in agriculture is land, to which the peasant has little or no free access. Labor—his own, and that of his family members—is available to the peasant, but this relatively unproductive factor must be applied to land in order to generate wealth. Few other outlets for productive labor employment are available to him. When the peasant is able to combine land and labor in a wealth-generating endeavor, his productivity is likely to be extremely low, due to limiting factors such as technology, capital, marketing information, and credit. All of these life aspects combine to hold down the peasant's income and preclude savings. He is, in a word, poor.Furthermore, the peasant is powerless against many threats which abound in his environment. There are disease, accident, and death, among the natural threats. There are violence, exploitation, and injustice at the hands of the powerful, among the human threats. The peasant knows that this environmental constellation is dangerous. He also knows that there is relatively little he can do about his situation, and, accordingly, his culture often features themes of vulnerability, calamity, and misfortune. As George Foster has neatly summarized if, the outlook this situation engenders in the peasant is the “Image of the Limited Good.”

Suggested Citation

  • Powell, John Duncan, 1970. "Peasant Society and Clientelist Politics," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 64(2), pages 411-425, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:64:y:1970:i:02:p:411-425_12
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Razvan Vlaicu, 2008. "Democracy, Credibility, and Clientelism," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 24(2), pages 371-406, October.
    2. Oscar Amarasinghe, 1989. "Technical Change, Transformation of Risks and Patronage Relations in a Fishing Community of South Sri Lanka," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 20(4), pages 701-733, October.
    3. Lindberg, Staffan I. & Lo Bue, Maria C. & Sen, Kunal, 2022. "Clientelism, corruption and the rule of law," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Hadia Majid & Rashid Memon, 2019. "Patronage and Public Goods Provisioning in an Unequal Land," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 805-830, October.
    5. Lena Kuhn & Stephan Brosig & Linxiu Zhang, 2016. "The Brink of Poverty: Implementation of a Social Assistance Programme in Rural China," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 45(1), pages 75-108.
    6. Miquel Pellicer & Eva Wegner & Lindsay J. Benstead & Ellen Lust, 2021. "Poor people’s beliefs and the dynamics of clientelism," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 33(3), pages 300-332, July.
    7. Beg, Sabrin, 2021. "Tenancy and clientelism," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 201-226.
    8. Erdmann, Gero & Engel, Ulf, 2006. "Neopatrimonialism Revisited - Beyond a Catch-All Concept," GIGA Working Papers 16, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    9. repec:foi:wpaper:2010_13 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Virginia Carolina Vilchez & Alberto Paucar‐Caceres & Katarzyna Werner, 2021. "A systemic framework to evaluate political clientelism and citizens' subjectivation processes," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 6-20, January.
    11. Akramov, Kamiljon T. & Qureshi, Sarfraz & Birner, Regina & Khan, Bilal Hasan, 2008. "Decentralization, local government elections and voter turnout in Pakistan:," IFPRI discussion papers 754, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    12. repec:foi:wpaper:2010_14 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Shami, Mahvish, 2012. "The Impact of Connectivity on Market Interlinkages: Evidence from Rural Punjab," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 999-1012.
    14. Mair, Johanna & Marti, Ignasi, 2009. "Entrepreneurship in and around institutional voids: A case study from Bangladesh," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 419-435, September.
    15. Maria Atuesta Ortiz, 2023. "GAMONALES WHO MAKE A CITY: Intimate Interactions in City Building," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 90-105, January.
    16. Curtis, D., & Davey, K., & Hughes, A., & Shepherd, A.,, 1978. "Popular participation in decision-making and the basic needs approach to development : methods, issues and experiences," ILO Working Papers 991787173402676, International Labour Organization.

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