Local Politics, Governance and Public Goods in Southeast Asia

This project investigates how variations in local government across four Southeast Asian states affect the delivery of critical public goods - infrastructure and healthcare - to citizens. It does so by comparing 'local governance regimes' across 16 municipalities in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. Expected outcomes include better understanding of how varying political dynamics can shape state-citizen interactions at the local level, and affect how and whether citizens gain access to critical services. The findings will enhance understanding of local politics, a topic of growing scholarly interest, and also benefit Australian and other policy makers seeking to design better development interventions.