The Political Economy of the Cambodian Transition

Cambodia underwent a triple transition in the 1990s: from war to peace, from communism to electoral democracy, and from command economy to free market. This book addresses the political economy of these transitions, examining how the much publicised international intervention to bring peace and democracy to Cambodia was subverted by the poverty of the Cambodian economy and by the state's manipulation of the move to the free market. This analysis of the material basis of obstacles to Cambodia's democratisation suggests that the long-established theoretical link between economy and democracy stands, even in the face of new strategies of international democracy promotion. This Book Explores The Three Continuing Intertwined Transitions Which Have Taken Place In Cambodia Since The Late 1980s - The Transition From Command Economy To Free Market, From Civil War To Peace, And From Single-party Authoritarianism To Multi-party Democracy. Using A Political Economy Approach And Drawing On Extensive Original Research, The Book Argues That The First Transition, To The Free Market, Has Been Particularly Important In Determining The Character Of The Other Transition Processes. The Reorientation Of The State On The Basis Of Personal Networks Of Political Loyalty And Economic Entrepreneurship, Backed By The Threat Of Violence, Permitted The Emergence Of A Limited Political Accommodation Between The Major Parties In The 1990s, Which Provided Few Benefits To Cambodia's Poor.--book Jacket. 1. Introduction: Points Of Departure -- 2. Economy And State-society Relations -- 3. Economic Reform And State-making In The 1990s -- 4. State And Party In The 1990s -- 5. International Intervention And 'international Community' -- 6. Multi-party Politics In The 1990s -- 7. Promoting Democracy: Ngos And 'civil Society' -- 8. Urban Protest Movements: The Future Of Cambodian Democracy? -- 9. Conclusion: Manipulating Cambodia's Transitions. Caroline Hughes. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Preliminaries......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Note......Page 10 1 Introduction: points of departure......Page 12 2 Economy and state–society relations......Page 29 3 Economic reform and state-making in the 1990s......Page 50 4 State and party in the 1990s......Page 70 5 International intervention and international community'......Page 96 6 Multi-party politics in the 1990s......Page 126 7 Promoting democracy: NGOs and civil society'......Page 149 8 Urban protest movements: the future of Cambodian democracy......Page 184 9 Conclusion: manipulating Cambodia's transitions......Page 225 Notes......Page 233 Sources......Page 256 Index......Page 266