Legitimization through patronage? Strategies for political control beyond ethno-regional claims in Darjeeling, India

Wenner, Miriam

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.11.002

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Wenner, M. (2015). Legitimization through patronage? Strategies for political control beyond ethno-regional claims in Darjeeling, India. Geoforum, 66, 234–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.11.002

Abstract

This paper asks how contending political leaders legitimize their authority in a competitive authoritarian regime. It contends that ‘legitimization through patronage’ is an important means of convincing the public of the rightfulness of a leader’s authority when ‘ideology-based normative legitimacy’ is declining and the formal electoral route is not available. Drawing on an understanding of legitimacy that accounts for leaders’ strategies and public receptions, the paper seeks to explore the moral norms and values on the basis of whic