Negotiating Morality in Clientelistic Democracies: Social Exchange and Political Dilemmas in An Archipelagic Society of Eastern Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines how morality is negotiated within clientelistic democratic practices in an archipelagic society of Eastern Indonesia. Moving beyond dominant political economy approaches that reduce clientelism to rational-instrumental exchange, the study analyzes the social embeddedness of political exchange, identifies the moral dilemmas experienced by political actors and citizens, and explains how local values interact with formal democratic norms to produce hybrid political practices. It also develops an analytical framework positioning morality as a mediating variable between rational action and social structure. Adopting a qualitative intrinsic case study in Namlea, Buru Regency, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The analysis follows an interactive model of data reduction, display, and iterative conclusion drawing, enabling an in-depth interpretation of moral negotiations in everyday political life. The findings reveal that social exchange is shaped not only by instrumental rationality but also by value-oriented, affective, and traditional rationalities. Political actors face dilemmas between adhering to democratic ideals and fulfilling socially embedded obligations, while communities exhibit moral ambivalence toward practices often labeled as violations. These dynamics produce a hybrid democratic order grounded in local moral economies. This study contributes by conceptualizing “negotiated morality,” integrating multiple theoretical perspectives, and foregrounding underrepresented island contexts in global sociology.