In the article, Kimhean Hok argues that Cambodia should no longer be understood simply as a system with a strong ruling party and a weak state. Instead, he shows that the country has undergone what he calls a “technocratic turn,” in which authoritarian rule has come to depend on a stronger and more capable administrative state. This turn has seen selective strengthening of institutions in areas crucial to economic growth, global integration, and revenue collection. Hok describes this reform practice as “institutional extension” and, through three original empirical case studies, demonstrates how Cambodia has built new centres of administrative capacity, that significantly increase overall state capacity, within an authoritarian political order.
New open-access article on technocracy in Cambodian politics
In a new Critical Asian Studies article, Kimhean Hok uncovers reform patterns that have significantly strengthened Cambodia’s administrative state while reinforcing authoritarian rule.