Iron cage in an iron fist - Authoritarian institutions and the personalization of power in Malaysia

Political scientists tend to draw a sharp distinction between personalized and institutionalized patterns of rule and to assume that personalization indicates low levels of institutionalization. This view is based on a narrow procedural definition of institutions that makes more sense in democratic than in authoritarian settings. While democratic institutions consist largely of procedures that constrain the executive's despotic power, authoritarian institutions consist primarily of organizations that enhance the regime's infrastructural power over political opposition. The practical significance of this distinction can be seen in the personalization of power in Malaysia. An aspiring autocrat ironically took advantage of highly institutionalized political organizations to enhance his personal power, even while maintaining the regime's resilience in the face of pressures for democratization.