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The politics of "public opinion" in the Philippines
Die Politik der 'öffentlichen Meinung' auf den Philippinen
[journal article]
Abstract In May 2010, national elections in the Philippines saw front-runner presidential candidate Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III win a landslide victory which set the stage for an orderly transition of power from the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This article argues that Aquino's victory, rather ... view more
In May 2010, national elections in the Philippines saw front-runner presidential candidate Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III win a landslide victory which set the stage for an orderly transition of power from the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This article argues that Aquino's victory, rather than signalling a clear departure from the old ways of doing politics or the mere reproduction of established patterns of oligarchical politics, points towards a more gradual and limited change in the mobilisation of voters in the Philippines. This change, it is further argued, reflects in part the rise of "public opinion" as a social fact in Philippine politics and society in the period since the resurrection of formal democratic institutions and regular elections. The article identifies the broad parameters of the rise in polls and surveys in the Philippines, and, drawing on the critical insights of Pierre Bourdieu, examines the nature and significance of "public opinion" itself. However, the argument advanced here is a cautionary one, indicating that, while the emergence of public opinion as a social fact alters political calculations and dynamics associated with voter mobilisation, the politics of public opinion may only have limited transformative potential for democracy in the Philippines.... view less
Keywords
political theory; political change; discourse; public opinion; historical development; election research; Southeast Asia; campaign; Bourdieu, P.; voter; democratization; election; mobilization; political system; election result; politics; presidential election; Philippines
Classification
Sociology of Developing Countries, Developmental Sociology
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Method
theory application; historical
Free Keywords
Political science; Social Science; the Philippines; politics; elections; government; 1990-2010
Document language
English
Publication Year
2010
Page/Pages
p. 97-118
Journal
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 29 (2010) 4
ISSN
1868-4882
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works