Now available in paperback, this Handbook provides a comprehensive analysis of the major themes that have defined the politics of Southeast Asia. It provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge examination of this important subject. The introductory chapter provides an overview of the theoretical and ideological themes that have dominated the study of the region's politics and presents the different ways the complex politics of the region have been understood. The contributions by leading scholars in the field cover a range of broad questions about the dynamics of politics.

The Handbook analyses how the dominant political and social coalitions of the region were forged in the Cold War era, and assesses the complex processes of transition towards various forms of democratic politics. How institutions and systems of governance are being forged in an increasingly global environment is discussed and whether civil society in Southeast Asia has really evolved as an independent sphere of social and political activity. The Handbook examines how national governments are dealing with growing tensions within the region as matters such as labour, human rights and the environment spill beyond national boundaries, and how they are establishing a place in the new global framework.

By engaging the Southeast Asian experience more firmly with larger debates about modern political systems, the Handbook is an essential reference tool for students and scholars of Political Science and Southeast Asian studies.

Now available in paperback, this Handbook provides a comprehensive analysis of the major themes that have defined the politics of Southeast Asia. It provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge examination of this important subject. The introductory chapter provides an overview of the theoretical and ideological themes that have dominated the study of the region's politics and presents the different ways the complex politics of the region have been understood. The contributions by leading scholars in the field cover a range of broad questions about the dynamics of politics.

Introduction Richard Robison 1. Interpreting the Politics of Southeast Asia: Debates in Parallel Universes Richard Robison  Part 1: The Changing Landscape of Power  2. Southeast Asia: The Left and the Rise of Bourgeois Opposition Kevin Hewison and Garry Rodan 3. Labour Politics in Southeast Asia: The Philippines Jane Hutchison 4. Oligarchs and Oligarchy in Southeast Asia Jeffrey A. Winters  Part 2: States and Regimes  5. Democracy and Money Politics: The Case of Indonesia Vedi Hadiz 6. Populist Challenge to the Establishment: Thaksin Shinawatra and the Transformation of Thai Politics Pasuk Phongpaichit and Chris Baker 7. Patronage-Based Parties and the Democratic Deficit in the Philippines: Origins, Evolution, and the Imperatives of Reform Paul D. Hutchcroft and Joel Rocamora 8. Consultative Authoritarianism and Regime Change Analysis: Implications of the Singapore Case Garry Rodan 9. Vietnam: the ruling Communist Party and the incubation of ‘new’ political forces Martin Gainsborough  Part 3: Markets and Governance  10. Politics, Institutions and Performance: Explaining Growth Variation in East Asia Rick Doner  11. Donors, Neo-liberalism and Country Ownership in Southeast Asia Andrew Rosser 12. The Judicialization of Market Regulation in Southeast Asia John Gillespie 13. Global capitalism, middle class and the shape the new mega cities of the region Chua Beng Huat  Part 4: Civil Society and Participation  14. The Limits of Civil Society: Social Movements and Political Parties in Southeast Asia Edward Aspinall and Meredith L. Weiss  15. Decentralization and democracy in Indonesia: strengthening citizenship or regional elites? Henke Schulte Nordholt  16. The Post-Authoritarian Politics of Agrarian and Forest Reform in Indonesia John McCarthy and Moira Moeliano  Part 5: Violence  17. Tackling the Legacies of Violence and Conflict: Liberal Institutions and Contentious Politics in Cambodia and Timor-Leste Caroline Hughes  18. Testing the boundaries of the state: gangs, militias, vigilantes and violent entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia Ian Wilson  Part 6: The Region and the World  19. Contested borders, contested boundaries: The politics of labour migration in Southeast Asia Michele Ford 20. Trade Policy in Southeast Asia: Politics, Domestic Interests and the Forging of New  Accommodations in the Regional and Global Economy Helen Nesadurai 21. Southeast Asian Perceptions of American Power Natasha Hamilton Hart 22. State Power, Social Conflicts and Security Policy in Southeast Asia Lee Jones