Disgruntled Grassroots Communities in Cambodia: Why They Succeed or Fail (original) (raw)

Abstract

In social movement and contentious politics, factors determining success or failure of a movement remain contested because different scholars tend to argue differently. As a contribution to this debate, this paper draws on two cases of large-scale controversial foreign joint venture investments in the agro-industry of Cambodia. The paper examines why movements of grassroots communities succeed or fail. The paper reveals that movements of grassroots communities which target the companies with strong politically tied patron-client networks with the neo-patrimonial Government are doomed to failure. Meanwhile, other movements succeed as they target the companies with weak politically tied networks with the Government. Though other factors remain necessary, the paper argues that success or failure of grassroots communities’ movements is sufficiently determined by the patron-client network, which is known as a reciprocal, but not equal relationship between clients or middle patrons, and powerful individuals—or the central patron—in the neo-patrimonial context.

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