Organizer: The Center for Khmer Studies

Type/Location: Virtual

Description:

Since the institution of Cambodia’s local elections in 2002, opposition parties have managed to attain, on average, 25% of commune council seats, rendering the commune as an important arena for pluralistic governance. This project asks whether the degree of opposition representation in commune councils matters for local outcomes. Drawing from an original dataset of over 16,000 contracts for commune infrastructure projects, I first estimate the effect of a single additional opposition-held seat on measures related to procurement. The results provide systematic evidence that increased opposition party representation corresponds with significant increases in the competitiveness of local procurement, consistent with better local governance, but no effect on the price at which local contracts are secured. To corroborate the quantitative findings, I draw from over sixty interviews with commune councilors that provide insight into how pluralism in the council works in practice. Ultimately, the findings suggest that local opposition representation in Cambodia can have meaningful, if limited, effects on governance, even in a constrained political environment.

About the Speaker:

Lucy Right is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Duke University in the U.S., and a Visiting Fellow at the Cambodia Development Resource Institute’s (CDRI) Center for Governance and Inclusive Societies. Her dissertation research examines how the opposition party’s participation in commune government in Cambodia has affected the quality of local governance, drawing on qualitative fieldwork, novel observational data, and an original survey of elected leaders. In addition to her dissertation research, Lucy has published research on Cambodian civil society and has contributed to research reports on topics including local governance, solid waste collection, and poverty in Cambodia.

Registration Link:

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