A quiet revolution? Village head elections and the democratization of rural Indonesia

While democratization is regularly associated with elite renewal, established elites often succeed in maintaining their dominance after the fall of authoritarian regime that fostered them. This constitutes a relatively understudied challenge facing processes: when and how do democratic reforms fostering emergence new elites? paper addresses this question through study village head elections three rural districts around Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Comparing older studies ten in-depth recent as well assessments backgrounds eighty heads (kepala desa), shows remarkable change has taken place. Whereas up to years ago many villages were still ruled by leaders from families quasi-hereditary grip on power, such are rapidly being replaced more modest family different style leadership. important resulted combination reforms, diversification economies, particularly competitive character elections. Elite renewal possible open information-dense coincide process economic undercutting elites.