Hybrid Patron-Client Digital Networks and Electoral Success in Contemporary Indonesian Politics

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_64How to use a DOI?

Keywords

electoral networks; patron-client relations; digital campaigns; Actor-Network Theory; Indonesian politics; religious mobilization; hybrid strategies

Abstract

This study examines the network configuration of actors that contributed to electoral success in the 2024 Indonesian legislative elections, focusing on the campaign of Yasir Mahmud in Bone Regency, South Sulawesi. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and integrating insights from clientelism literature and network analysis, we develop a theoretical model of Hybrid Patron-Client Digital Network (HPCDN) that characterizes contemporary electoral campaigns in developing democracies. Through qualitative analysis of interviews with campaign coordinators, religious leaders, political analysts, and electoral observers, combined with document analysis, this research reveals how traditional patronage mechanisms are integrated with digital campaign strategies through sophisticated organizational structures. The study identifies four fundamental dimensions of HPCDN: morphological structure with distributed centrality, relational dynamics through triple exchange logic encompassing material-economic, symbolic-cultural, and informational-technological exchanges, stabilization mechanisms including black boxing, redundancy, and adaptive capacity, and interface with institutional regulatory environments. Our findings demonstrate that electoral networks achieving saturation across 2,500 polling stations without a single empty station exemplify the efficacy of hybrid mobilization strategies that simultaneously activate religious networks, cultural values, and digital platforms. This research contributes to political science by proposing a theoretical framework that transcends the conventional dichotomy between traditional machine politics and modern programmatic politics, while offering practical implications for understanding digital transformation in electoral politics within contexts where religious authority remains politically salient.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - B. Mujiburahman
AU  - Muhammad
AU  - Gustiana A. Kambo
AU  - Andi Ilmi Utami Irwan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/13
TI  - Hybrid Patron-Client Digital Networks and Electoral Success in Contemporary Indonesian Politics
BT  - Proceedings of the World Conference on Governance and Social Sciences 2025 (WCGSS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 917
EP  - 941
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_64
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_64
ID  - Mujiburahman2026
ER  -