7 - Patchwork States and Patronage

Summary

In this chapter, I explore the influence of the patchwork state in variation in electoral competition. The chapter begins with presenting the dominant framework in South Asian politics, that of clientelism, and argues that historical variations in the structure of patronage, due to patchwork forms of Authority within India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh shapes the nature and consequences of electoral competition. Variations in the capacity of public officials to determine the distribution of patronage might explain a puzzle in India and Pakistani politics, that of variation in the number of parties in serious contention at the constituency level. The chapter then presents data on the effective number of parties (ENP) by postcolonial governance categories in India and Pakistan, and explores Bangladesh’s exception to patchwork state dynamics. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the relationship among elections, violence, and the patchwork state.