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The Institutional Imperative: The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia . Erik Martinez Kuhonta . Stanford : Stanford University Press , 2011, 342, CCCXLII.
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Erik Kuhonta's "The Institutional Imperative: The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia" is empirically rich, analytically thoughtful, and normatively unsettling. Kuhonta moves beyond the standard literature on the causes of growth to ask why some countries successfully achieve equitable development, defined as "economic growth rooted in a pro-poor orientation" (3). The book's thesis underlines the importance of institutions; namely, institutionalized political parties. A combination of institutionalized parties, state interventionism, and pragmatic ideologies provides favorable conditions for equitable growth policies. A dash of authoritarianism helps smooth over potential opposition.
Kuhonta begins with an intriguing empirical puzzle: strong economic growth in Thailand occurred in tandem with increased levels of income inequality, while similar growth rates in Malaysia led to a decline in inequality. What explains the variation? The author dismisses explanations based on class structure or regime type as they both assume the existence of a pro-poor political organization that can effectively push for redistributive policies. For Kuhonta, the political organization itself serves as the key institutional variable. Strong parties channel and aggregate the demands of the poor, providing the institutional infrastructure required for long-term implementation of social policies. Only through the strength of institutionalized parties can the corrosive effects of...