Transnational neoliberalism in Asian civil society: Microfinance and poverty in Cambodia

Phillips, Ruth and Davy, Deanna (2021) Transnational neoliberalism in Asian civil society: Microfinance and poverty in Cambodia. In, Avenell, Simon and Ogawa, Akihiro (eds.) Transnational civil society in Asia: The potential of grassroots regionalization. Routledge. (doi:10.4324/9781003110484).

Abstract

The main purpose of this chapter is to shine a light on transnational ‘neoliberalization’ of civil society. Transformations from authoritarian states to capitalist free-market economies are often linked to democratization, however the lack of welfare state structures and protective levels of regulation create avenues for exploitation. This exists in the growing number of hybridized civil society organizations in Southeast Asia. In order to demonstrate the impact of transnational neoliberalism on civil society, findings from a study about the microfinance sector in Cambodia, where the microfinance industry appeared to be creating serious consequences for Cambodian microfinance borrowers, are reported in this chapter. Based on interviews with workers within NGOs and UN agencies that operated to support people who have been released/freed from trafficking in persons, and those involved in the prevention of irregular migration and trafficking or policy initiatives, the study revealed the creation of highly vulnerable neoliberal subjects. The study also illuminated the impact of a privatized and marketized microfinance industry in Cambodia, thus demonstrating how the ‘neoliberalization’ of civil society’s social enterprise has in fact increased rather than prevented poverty.

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Contributors

Author: Deanna Davy

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