SOSS - SEA Seminar | Pillars of the Community: Are Communist Party Members More Other-Regarding Than Non-Party Members?

Pillars of the Community: Are Communist Party Members More Other-Regarding Than Non-Party Members?

Are communist party members driven by altruistic, other-regarding motives? A large literature suggests that party members receive selective incentives for joining the party, implying that party members are primarily driven by careerist goals. Less appreciated are the costs of party membership, particularly for rank-and-file party members at the grassroots level. In this context, are grassroots party members outside of the bureaucracy motivated by altruistic, other-regarding motives? Furthermore, could this explain the high regard with which many hold party members in their community? Using a randomized controlled trial on incentives to join women’s groups in Vietnam, we theorize that party members should be more likely to join groups when motivated by the opportunity to generate collective benefits for the community. We find that party members are significantly more likely to join when motivated by collective benefits. These findings suggest that the incentives for joining the party at the grassroots level may differ from existing theory. It might also help explain the esteem the party possesses at the local level.

SPEAKER

Paul Schuler

Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Arizona

Paul Schuler is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona currently visiting at Waseda University in Japan. He specializes in political institutions, Southeast Asian politics, and Vietnamese politics. His work has appeared in journals such as the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, and the Journal of East Asian Studies. He has also appeared in the New York Times and BBC. His book United Front from Stanford University Press examines the evolution of the Vietnam National Assembly.

MODERATOR

Sebastian Dettman

Assistant Professor of Political Science, SMU

Dr Sebastian Dettman is an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the School of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University. He researches politics in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, focusing on political parties, electoral competition, and democratization. He completed his PhD in the Department of Government at Cornell University, and a Masters in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan. Prior to SMU, he was a 2018-19 Postdoctoral Fellow in Contemporary Asia at the Shorenstein Center at Stanford University. His research has been published in outlets including Democratization, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Electoral Studies, and South East Asia Research.

Remarks: Due to limited seats, registration is on a first come first served basis.