PATRON-CLIENT NETWORKS AND PUBLIC UTILITY FOR INCUMBENT POLITICIANS IN ELECTIONS: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37949/jdp.v10i1.298Keywords:
Incumbent, Election, Politics, Patronage, ClientelismAbstract
This study analyzes the relationship between patron–client networks and the strategic use of public utilities by incumbent politicians in electoral contexts through a bibliometric approach. It explores how patronage-based electoral strategies are conceptualized and debated within academic literature, particularly regarding the mobilization of state resources to secure voter loyalty and sustain political dominance. The primary objective is to identify patterns of knowledge production, influential scholars, dominant themes, and emerging research trajectories related to incumbency advantage and patronage politics. Methodologically, the study employs bibliometric analysis supported by VOSviewer software to visualize co-occurrence networks among keywords, citation relationships, author collaborations, and leading publication sources. This quantitative mapping enables a systematic understanding of the intellectual structure and evolution of the field. The findings reveal three major thematic clusters. First, political patronage and clientelism are strongly associated with the distribution of public utilities as electoral incentives. Second, incumbency advantage emerges as a central concept linked to resource control and institutional access. Third, social capital and local networks function as mediating mechanisms that strengthen patron–client exchanges. The analysis also shows a growing trend of interdisciplinary research combining political science, governance, and public administration perspectives. Overall, the study demonstrates that public utilities often operate not only as service instruments but also as strategic tools for power reproduction and electoral consolidation.
Downloads
References
Aji, N., & Dartanto, T. (2018). Behind the Jokowi’s victory: did economic voting matter in the 2014 Indonesian presidential election? Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, 2(1), 115–138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41685-018-0083-3
Amri, P. D. (2022). Socio-Economic Conditions and Indonesian Democratic Support. Society and Democracy in South Korea and Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06267-4_7
Anele, K. K. (2022). A Comparative Analysis of the Impeachment Procedures in Nigeria and Indonesia: A Need for a Paradigm Change. Lentera Hukum. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/lenth9§ion=4
Arifianto, A. R. (2023). THE 2024 INDONESIAN ELECTION: A CROSSROADS IN A CONTINUING DEMOCRATIC RECESSION. New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, 25(2), 37–56.
Azarian, M., Yu, H., Shiferaw, A. T., & Stevik, T. K. (2023). Do We Perform Systematic Literature Review Right? A Scientific Mapping and Methodological Assessment. Logistics, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics7040089
Berenschot, W., Capri, W., & Dhian, D. (2021). A quiet revolution? Village head elections and the democratization of rural Indonesia. Critical Asian Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2021.1871852
Curato, N., & Fossati, D. (2020). Authoritarian innovations. Democratization, 1006–1020. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2020.1777985
Dharma, F. (2023). Regional Heads’ Discretionary Spending in Local Election. WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics, 20, 1178–1184. https://doi.org/10.37394/23207.2023.20.105
Dinarto, D., & Ng, J. (2021). Characterising independent candidates in Indonesian local politics. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1177/1868103420972412
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133(March), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Elekwachi, E., & Ufomba, H. (2024). Political Patronage and Bureaucracy: Studies in Nigeria and Indonesia. Jurnal Mengkaji Indonesia. https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/publications/political-patronage-and-bureaucracy-studies-in-nigeria-and-indone
Fealy, G. (2024). INDONESIA IN 2023: Jokowi’s Dominance-Power without Principle. Southeast Asian Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1355/9789815203516-007
Gammon, L. (2022). Constrained populism in Indonesia: Joko Widodo, electoral institutions and party power. The Australian National University.
Gonschorek, G. J. (2021). Subnational favoritism in development grant allocations: Empirical evidence from decentralized Indonesia. World Development, 139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105299
İri, R., & Ünal, E. (2024). Bibliometric Analysis Bibliometric Analysis of Research (1980-2023). Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 10(2), 386–403. https://doi.org/10.31592/aeusbed.1446738
Jaffrey, S., & Warburton, E. (2024). On The Edge of Competitive Authoritarianism. Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00074918.2024.2426571
Kadir, A., Zuada, L. H., & Wisetsri, W. (2021). The Influence of Legislative Performance and Public Trust on Constituent Loyalty (Study on the 2019 Legislative Election in the Electoral District of Southeast Sulawesi Province). Review of International Geographical Education Online, 11(5), 963–976. https://doi.org/10.48047/rigeo.11.05.93
Komarudin, U., Handoko, W., & Hussain, F. (2025). MONEY POLITICS AND VOTER BEHAVIOR: FACTORS BEHIND INCUMBENT DEFEAT IN SUBANG REGENCY’S 2024 REGIONAL ELECTION. Jurnal Hukum Unissula, 41(2), 216–235. https://doi.org/10.26532/jh.v41i2.44163
Kuipers, N., Toha, R., & Sumaktoyo, N. G. (2024). Third Time’s the Charm: The Youth Vote and Prabowo’s Victory in the 2024 Indonesian Presidential Election. Pacific Affairs, 97(3), 563–585. https://doi.org/10.5509/2024973-art6
Kurnia, A. S., Izzulhaq, S., & Maulana, S. J. (2022). Incumbents’ Behavior and Strategic Interactions among Local Governments: The Case of Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Ilmu Politik, 25(3), 277–296. https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.67694
Kurosaki, T., Paul, S., & Witoelar, F. (2024). In pursuit of power: Land tenancy contracts and local political business cycles in Indonesia. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2024.106764
Lewis, B. D., Nguyen, H. T. M., & Hendrawan, A. (2020). Political accountability and public service delivery in decentralized Indonesia: Incumbency advantage and the performance of second term mayors. European Journal of Political Economy, 64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2020.101910
Mauk, M. (2022). Stable support for democracy in East and Southeast Asia? Examining citizens’ trust in democratic institutions. In East Asia. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-021-09381-y
Maulana. (2025). Beasiswa Kaltim Tuntas di Era Rudy Mas’ud Dipastikan Tetap Cair, Mahasiswa Tak Perlu Khawatir. Seputar Fakta. https://seputarfakta.com/diskominfo-provinsi-kalimantan-timur/beasiswa-kaltim-tuntas-di-era-rudy-mas-ud-dipastikan-tetap-cair-mahasiswa-tak-perlu-khawatir-11439
Meyer, T. (2012). Peran Partai Politik dalam Sebuah Sistem Demokrasi : Sembilan Tesis. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 1–46.
Mietzner, M. (2024). Jokowi’s pyrrhic victory: Indonesia’s 2024 elections and the political reinvention of prabowo subianto. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 46(2), 187–215. https://doi.org/10.1355/cs46-2a
Mietzner, M., & Honna, J. (2023). Elite opposition and popular rejection: the failure of presidential term limit evasion in Widodo’s Indonesia. South East Asia Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/0967828X.2023.2236542
Moeis, A. I. A., Nachrowi, N. D., Ananta, A., & Widjaja, M. (2020). The politics of district budget formulation in multi-party indonesia. Institutions and Economies, 12(3), 41–64.
Nadjib, A., Bafadhal, O. M., & Santoso, A. D. (2022). Social Capital, Bureaucratic Neutrality, and Regional Head Election in Indonesia. Studia Regionalne i Lokalne, 87(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.7366/1509499518703
Novalia, W., Rogers, B. C., & Bos, J. J. (2021). Incumbency and political compromises: Opportunity or threat to sustainability transitions? Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 40, 680–698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2021.05.002
Nurjaman, A. (2023). The Decline of Islamic Parties and the Dynamics of Party System in Post-Suharto Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Ilmu Politik, 27(2), 192–208. https://doi.org/10.22146/JSP.79698
Pathak, S. (2024). Indonesia’s 2024 elections and the future foreign policy trajectory. Hindustan Times. https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/7285/
Pepinsky, T. B. (2024). Cleavages, Institutions, and Democracy in Indonesia: The 2024 Elections in Comparative Perspective. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1177/18681034251349467
Permadi, B. I. (2021). Rent-Seeking, Political Budget Cycle, and Audit Opinion: An Analysis of Local Government Spending in Indonesia. Jurnal Tata Kelola Dan Akuntabilitas Keuangan Negara, 7(2), 211–228. https://doi.org/10.28986/jtaken.v7i2.737
Prianto, S., Yuslaini, A. L., & Nina. (2023). Political Part Preferences on Local Election in Indonesia: How Does Rational Choice Institutionalism Work in Candidate Selection? J. Liberty &Int’l Aff. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/jlia9§ion=73
Purwaningsih, T., & Widodo, B. E. C. (2020). The interplay of incumbency, political dinasty and corruption in indonesia: Are political dynasties the cause of corruption in Indonesia? Revista UNISCI, 2020(53), 157–176. https://doi.org/10.31439/UNISCI-89
Putra, I. E., Wagner, W., Holtz, P., & Rufaedah, A. (2021). Accounting for a riot: Religious identity, denying one’s prejudice, and the tool of blasphemy. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 9(1), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.5565
Rakhmani, I., & Saraswati, M. S. (2021). Authoritarian populism in Indonesia: The role of the political campaign industry in engineering consent and coercion. Journal of Current Southeast …. https://doi.org/10.1177/18681034211027885
Rammohan, A., Purwono, R., & Harymawan, I. (2020). The local economy and Re-election of incumbent district leaders in Indonesia. Heliyon, 6(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04098
Rannie, M., Saraswati, R., & Wisnaeni, F. (2023). The Phenomenon of Political Dynasty in Regional Head Elections in Indonesia. Nurani, 23(1), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.19109/nurani.v23i1.16477
Rasyadi, M. H. (2021). Differences in the Arrangement of Leave Outside the State Responsibility for Presidential Candidates and Incumbent Regional Head Candidates Based on the …. Constitutionale. https://jurnal.fh.unila.ac.id/index.php/constitutionale/article/view/2357
Riono, T., & Schraufnagel, S. (2020). Testing for Incumbency Advantages in a Developing Democracy. Contemporary Southeast Asia. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26937800
Rusnaedy, Z., Fatma, F., & Haris, A. (2021). Political Dynasty and Single Candidate in Indonesian Local Elections: Where Are The Parties? Journal of Governance and …. https://journal.unpacti.ac.id/JGLP/article/view/297
Safa’at, M. A. (2022). Single candidates: Ensuring a path to victory in local elections. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 7(4), 1163–1176. https://doi.org/10.1177/20578911211062485
Siregar, S. N. (2025). Politicised policing in Indonesia: a study of the Indonesian national police during the 2019 presidential election. Asian Journal of Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2025.2500005
Sobari, W. (2023a). Emerging Local Politics in Indonesia: Patronage-Driven Democracy in the Post-Soeharto Era. In Emerging Local Politics in Indonesia: Patronage-Driven Democracy in the Post-Soeharto Era. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4622-8
Sobari, W. (2023b). Emerging Local Politics in Indonesia. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4622-8
Suswanta, & Saday, D. P. (2024). Developing an election-winning strategy model without transactional politics: Learning from public elections in Ukraine and Indonesia. AIP Conference Proceedings. https://pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/article-abstract/2952/1/170002/3304228
Varsha P S, Chakraborty, A., & Kar, A. K. (2024). How to Undertake an Impactful Literature Review: Understanding Review Approaches and Guidelines for High-impact Systematic Literature Reviews. South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 13(1), 18–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/22779779241227654
Virananda, I. G. S., Dartanto, T., & Wijaya, B. D. (2021). Does money matter for electability? Lesson learned from the 2014 legislative election in Indonesia. Sage Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211054492
Wang, Z. (2023). Infrastructure and politics: Why the Belt and Road Initiative proceeded differently in Malaysia and Indonesia. Asia Pacific Viewpoint. https://doi.org/10.1111/apv.12371
Washida, H. (2023). Mobilizing for Elections: Patronage and Political Machines in Southeast Asia, Edward Aspinall, Meredith L. Weiss, Allen Hicken and Paul D. Hutchcroft. academic.oup.com. https://academic.oup.com/irap/article-abstract/23/3/541/7078528
Wiguna, G. E., & Khoirunurrofik, K. (2021). Political budget cycle patterns and the role of coalition parties in shaping Indonesian local government spending. Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, 5(1), 41–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41685-020-00186-0
Yustisia, W., Eka Putra, I., & Hakim, M. A. (2023). What determines incumbent vote in Indonesia? Understanding the roles of economic conditions, religiousness, political ideology, and incumbent performance. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 23(2), 453–473. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12355
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Danang Bertrand Camico, Muhammad Ihwan Salsabila, Iradhad Taqwa Sihidi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
