ABSTRACT

This chapter revisits clientelism, one of the dominant conceptual frames for the study of Philippine politics. This framework suggests that the Philippine polity is structured less by organized interest groups than by a network of mutual aid relationships between pairs of individuals (dyadic ties) and that those of greatest significance are vertical ones (patron-client relations). This chapter explores the dyadic basis of clientelism which stands in stark contrast to the group theory. It then discusses different theories that developed around clientelism in relation to the social phenomena that these theories tried to explain. It surveys the traditional patron-client model, the machine model and the specialized patron-client model as well as exploring the importance of coercion and exchange of negative values which are related to variations and changes in the nature of clientelism, including its breakdown and the rise of class politics.