Book Chapter by Cleo Calimbahin
Electoral Dynamics in the Philippines: Money Politics, Patronage and Clientelism at the Grassroots, 2019
In the Philippines, the prevalence of political dynasties means strong local-national politics ne... more In the Philippines, the prevalence of political dynasties means strong local-national politics nexus. This book chapter examines the vulnerability of a dynasty once it engages in a simultaneous vertical and horizontal expansion. Vulnerability for the dynasty to experience contraction is manifested in electoral backsliding.
Handbook on the Geographies of Corruption, 2018
This chapter documents corruption in the Philippines. Centuries of Spanish and American coloniali... more This chapter documents corruption in the Philippines. Centuries of Spanish and American colonialism led to the formation of a weak state rife with systemic corruption. The long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos was a case study in kleptocracy. Clan-based oligarchs use a clientelistic power structure and crony capitalism that offer impunity to corrupt officials and led to an unholy marriage with organized crime. Corrupt elites and dynastic ruling families engage in widespread election fraud. More recently, Filipino corruption has taken a horrifically violent turn.
Academic Journal by Cleo Calimbahin
Philippine Journal of Political Science
Philippine Political Science Journal, 2011
... Aquino, who was elected as the 15th President of the Philippines, did not have any critical w... more ... Aquino, who was elected as the 15th President of the Philippines, did not have any critical words for the COMELEC for waiting for four hours in the voting precinct. Instead, he had this to say, “Ang gusto mamuno kailangan maging mahusay na tagapagsunod. ...
Dissertation by Cleo Calimbahin
Dissertation: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009
Genre/Form: Academic theses
Additional Physical Format: Online version:
Calimbahin, Cleo.
Pr... more Genre/Form: Academic theses
Additional Physical Format: Online version:
Calimbahin, Cleo.
Promise and pathology of democracy.
c2009
Material Type: Thesis/dissertation, Manuscript, Internet resource
Document Type: Book, Archival Material, Internet Resource
All Authors / Contributors: Cleo Calimbahin
Find more information about:
Notes: Advisor: Paul Hutchcroft.
Reproduction Notes: Print reproduction.
Description: xi, 322 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Monograph by Cleo Calimbahin
IDE-JETRO VRF Monograph Series , 2009
Book Review by Cleo Calimbahin
Philippine Journal of Public Policy, 2019
Design matters. Looking at the results and the conduct of the 2019 elections, the Philippines nee... more Design matters. Looking at the results and the conduct of the 2019 elections, the Philippines needs to seriously consider how common and recurring challenges of elections are to be addressed. Among other things, issues of campaign finance, high cost of running for public office, and vote buying continue to persist. Campaigns and preelection conversations revolve around personalities rather than programs and policies. Less-than-ideal candidates with cases in graft courts continue to win-these range from plunder cases to violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. And lastly, the promising party list system has not improved the representation of marginalized and minority groups. Instead, it has become an alternative way for traditional politicians to stay in or reenter the halls of Congress. With 51 party list groups winning 61 seats in Congress, the once-promising party list system does not promote party institutionalization or proportional representation. Strong Patronage, Weak Parties, edited by Paul Hutchcroft, provides substantive information and insights on how redesigning the electoral system can lead to better electoral outcomes. The book focuses on effective ways to translate votes into seats. It provides a comparative look at how electoral system redesign can be effective with less unintended consequences. The volume examines the text and context of the pressing need for meaningful political reform in the Philippines, with the aim of presenting electoral system redesign as another option to change the way politics is done in the Philippines.
Philippine Political Science Journal, 2019
Book Reviews by Cleo Calimbahin
Philippine Journal of Public Policy, 2019
Design matters. Looking at the results and the conduct of the 2019 elections, the Philippines nee... more Design matters. Looking at the results and the conduct of the 2019 elections, the Philippines needs to seriously consider how common and recurring challenges of elections are to be addressed. Among other things, issues of campaign finance, high cost of running for public office, and vote buying continue to persist. Campaigns and preelection conversations revolve around personalities rather than programs and policies. Less-than-ideal candidates with cases in graft courts continue to win-these range from plunder cases to violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. And lastly, the promising party list system has not improved the representation of marginalized and minority groups. Instead, it has become an alternative way for traditional politicians to stay in or reenter the halls of Congress. With 51 party list groups winning 61 seats in Congress, the once-promising party list system does not promote party institutionalization or proportional representation. Strong Patronage, Weak Parties, edited by Paul Hutchcroft, provides substantive information and insights on how redesigning the electoral system can lead to better electoral outcomes. The book focuses on effective ways to translate votes into seats. It provides a comparative look at how electoral system redesign can be effective with less unintended consequences. The volume examines the text and context of the pressing need for meaningful political reform in the Philippines, with the aim of presenting electoral system redesign as another option to change the way politics is done in the Philippines.
JOURNAL ARTICLES by Cleo Calimbahin
Asian Affairs: An American Review, 2020
The Philippines is Southeast Asia’s oldest democracy. Yet democratic institutions fail to show co... more The Philippines is Southeast Asia’s oldest democracy. Yet democratic institutions fail to show coherence in what is largely seen as a resilient oligarchical state that manages to control the state, economy, and society by constantly adapting and shifting along with the political contours. Despite its rich democratic tradition, the country has not been able to reduce centuries old socio-economic inequalities that have sustained clientelistic politics. The continuing failure to consolidate and deepen democracy has negatively impacted the Philippine state, the economy and society. This country study charts the various structural and institutional arrangements and accommodations that have resulted in the country’s defective democratization. Using historical and contemporary process tracing, this study hopes to provide a nuanced understanding of the democratic and not so democratic trajectory that the country continues to experience. By providing a mapping of the defective democracy in the Philippines, this study provides a lens to see the conditions, depth and alterations within the course of pursuing democratization. The distinct and complementing structural and institutional arrangements over the years illustrate how power can lead to various patterns of domination and transformation.
Papers by Cleo Calimbahin
Philippine Studies Historical & Ethnographic Viewpoints, Mar 26, 2024
Institut de recherche sur l’Asie du Sud-Est contemporaine eBooks, Dec 31, 2022
Lynne Rienner Publishers eBooks, Dec 31, 2023
Philippine Political Science Journal, 2011
Building quality democracy takes time. It requires a constant review of the performance of instit... more Building quality democracy takes time. It requires a constant review of the performance of institutions that are tasked to deliver in concrete ways the democratic ideal. Improving democratic institutions requires sustained reform efforts. Election administration and election commissions need to be examined against this backdrop of broader democratization issues. Given the importance of election administration in the study of democratic processes, there are very few studies that focus on election administration. By focusing on a specific institution tasked to replicate the ideals of democracy such as the COMELEC, this study offers insights into a deeper understanding of autonomy, bureaucratic integrity and capacity. Though mostly overlooked, election administration plays a vital role in the study of broader democratization questions. Elections promise continuity and stability. But if election administration is done poorly due to the lack of autonomy, integrity, and capacity then it becomes an unsettling and destabilizing exercise.With democratic structures in place for years, the Philippines continues to have problems with the most basic elements of election administration: accuracy in maintaining voter lists, counting votes and adjudicating disputes. The COMELEC oversees election administration, serving as referee and gatekeeper in the Philippines’ electoral arena. The COMELEC is a constitutional commission with ostensible autonomy and power, yet it is also a bureaucracy. The May 2010 election was the first automated election in the Philippines. Widely regarded as a success, there were many issues and incidents that show it was also business as usual for COMELEC. The speed of the canvass count astounded the voting populace, and perhaps operators, but the May 2010 election continues to show embedded problems within the commission that needs to be addressed in order to strengthen the COMELEC as an institution that can provide election administration efficiently and accurately in subsequent elections.
Philippine Political Science Journal, Sep 19, 2019
UMI Dissertation Services eBooks, 2009
Genre/Form: Academic theses Additional Physical Format: Online version: Calimbahin, Cleo. Promise... more Genre/Form: Academic theses Additional Physical Format: Online version: Calimbahin, Cleo. Promise and pathology of democracy. c2009 Material Type: Thesis/dissertation, Manuscript, Internet resource Document Type: Book, Archival Material, Internet Resource All Authors / Contributors: Cleo Calimbahin Find more information about: Notes: Advisor: Paul Hutchcroft. Reproduction Notes: Print reproduction. Description: xi, 322 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
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Book Chapter by Cleo Calimbahin
Academic Journal by Cleo Calimbahin
Dissertation by Cleo Calimbahin
Additional Physical Format: Online version:
Calimbahin, Cleo.
Promise and pathology of democracy.
c2009
Material Type: Thesis/dissertation, Manuscript, Internet resource
Document Type: Book, Archival Material, Internet Resource
All Authors / Contributors: Cleo Calimbahin
Find more information about:
Notes: Advisor: Paul Hutchcroft.
Reproduction Notes: Print reproduction.
Description: xi, 322 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Monograph by Cleo Calimbahin
Book Review by Cleo Calimbahin
Book Reviews by Cleo Calimbahin
JOURNAL ARTICLES by Cleo Calimbahin
Papers by Cleo Calimbahin
Additional Physical Format: Online version:
Calimbahin, Cleo.
Promise and pathology of democracy.
c2009
Material Type: Thesis/dissertation, Manuscript, Internet resource
Document Type: Book, Archival Material, Internet Resource
All Authors / Contributors: Cleo Calimbahin
Find more information about:
Notes: Advisor: Paul Hutchcroft.
Reproduction Notes: Print reproduction.
Description: xi, 322 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm