Patronage, Political Networks and Electoral Dynamics in Southeast Asia: A study of the 2017 parliamentary elections in Timor-Leste

The objective of the Actvity is to understand what drives voter behavior at a local level. By capturing data at a suku (village) and aldeia (sub-village) level, this activity will cast light on a number of questions integral to understanding how politics works in Timor-Leste, including: 1.How do people form their political views and affiliations? 2.How common is, and what are the forms of, patronage politics around elections? 3.How do such patterns vary between locations? 4.Does the implementation and location of local development programs – such as the National Program for Village Development (PNDS) – have any influence on voting patterns? 5.Are political party affiliations more fragmented in conflict-prone areas?