Dynastic Political Networks: Insights from the Case of Western Samar, Philippines

Abstract

Network analysis of familial links in politics provides a novel way of understanding strategies of alliance building and power consolidation among political dynasties. This paper demonstrates how network analysis can be applied to family-centric political networks in Western Samar, Philippines. It presents empirical evidence on how these networks emerged and evolved over time, as well as the possible roles played by specific actors (in this case politicians) in the network. It highlights the use of network representation to visualize how political figures elected during the period 1988-2016 are connected to each other; and how those connections and the political power of certain political clans evolve over time. We observe that murder and marriage could be among a set of strategies pursued by some Philippine political clans to consolidate power and perpetuate themselves in elected office. This study offers rich insights into the political networks built by dynastic clans in the Philippines, with possible applications of the methodology in other developing country democracies.