The Institutional Origins Of Communal Violence: Indonesia's Transition From Authoritarian Rule
by Professor Yuhki Tajima /
2014 / English / PDF
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Why are transitions from authoritarian rule often marked by spikes
in communal violence? Through examining Indonesia's recent
transition to democracy, this book develops a novel theoretical
explanation for this phenomenon that also accounts for why some
communities are vulnerable to violence during such transitions
while others are able to maintain order. Yuhki Tajima argues that
repressive intervention by security forces in Indonesia during the
authoritarian period rendered some communities dependent on the
state to maintain intercommunal security, whereas communities with
a more tenuous exposure to the state developed their own informal
institutions to maintain security. As the coercive grip of the
authoritarian regime loosened, communities that were more
accustomed to state intervention were more vulnerable to spikes in
communal violence until they developed informal institutions that
were better adapted for less state intervention. To test the
theory, Tajima employs extensive fieldwork in, and rigorous
statistical evidence from, Indonesia as well as cross-national
data.
Why are transitions from authoritarian rule often marked by spikes
in communal violence? Through examining Indonesia's recent
transition to democracy, this book develops a novel theoretical
explanation for this phenomenon that also accounts for why some
communities are vulnerable to violence during such transitions
while others are able to maintain order. Yuhki Tajima argues that
repressive intervention by security forces in Indonesia during the
authoritarian period rendered some communities dependent on the
state to maintain intercommunal security, whereas communities with
a more tenuous exposure to the state developed their own informal
institutions to maintain security. As the coercive grip of the
authoritarian regime loosened, communities that were more
accustomed to state intervention were more vulnerable to spikes in
communal violence until they developed informal institutions that
were better adapted for less state intervention. To test the
theory, Tajima employs extensive fieldwork in, and rigorous
statistical evidence from, Indonesia as well as cross-national
data.
