Ideology, institutions, political actions: Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in Indonesia

Abstract

This article studies the political behavior of an Indonesian Islamist party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Critics have argued that there are undemocratic elements in the PKS ideology - such as mixing religion with politics and its perceptions on gender equality and religious pluralism - and thus its participation in democratic politics seems to be neither serious nor sustainable. Applying North's theory of new institutionalism, this research found that ideology is dominant as a guideline for party behavior whenever the formal institutions are ineffective, and it will be less so when the formal rules of the game function properly.