*Corresponding Author: Sakira Nadir, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
Received: 17th Dec, 2025; Revised: 18th Feb 2026; Accepted: 22nd Feb, 2026; Available Online: 28th Feb, 2026
Village head elections represent a fundamental expression of grassroots democracy, yet informal power networks increasingly exploit electoral processes through mechanisms that subvert democratic principles. This study examines how premanisme (thuggery) operates as social capital in village head elections, specifically analyzing the 2023 election in Sinjai Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with community leaders, village officials, candidates, civil society organization members, and villagers, complemented by participatory observation and documentary analysis. The findings reveal that informal power networks systematically appropriate the three structural components of social capital—networks, norms of reciprocity, and trust—to manipulate electoral outcomes. First, multi-layered network architectures penetrate existing social structures, enabling comprehensive voter surveillance, coordinated mobilization, and systematic coercion that constrain genuine political competition. Second, cultural expectations of reciprocity are transformed into binding political obligations enforced through social ostracism, economic sanctions, and physical intimidation, converting electoral participation into debt fulfillment rather than democratic citizenship. Third, bifurcated trust structures—characterized by high particularized trust in patronage networks alongside pervasive institutional distrust—generate self-reinforcing dynamics that entrench clientelistic relationships while delegitimizing democratic alternatives. These findings demonstrate that bonding social capital, when mobilized within asymmetric power relations, produces "dark social capital" that undermines rather than enhances democratic governance. The study contributes theoretical insights regarding the intersection of informal power structures with formal democratic institutions, while providing practical recommendations for strengthening electoral integrity through disrupting patronage-based networks, reducing community economic dependence, and rebuilding institutional trust through transparent governance mechanisms.
Keywords: Coercive social capital, village election, informal power networks, electoral manipulation, grassroots democracy.
How to cite this article: Agustirawati, Nadir S. Coercive social capital in democratic processes: a study of strongman politics in Indonesian village elections. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(5s): 440-447; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.5s.59
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None