Pathways to Progress: Community Support and Youth Political Efficacy in Cambodia’s Democratic Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53032/tvcr/2026.v8n2.17Keywords:
Young people in Cambodia, social support, political effectiveness, democratic engagement, developmental capitalAbstract
In the context of national elections, this study investigates the ways in which community support affects the political efficacy, motivation, and involvement of Cambodian youth. By adopting a developmental lens and presenting community support as a type of developmental capital that fosters agency and resilience, the research moves beyond deficit-based viewpoints that depict adolescents as indifferent or disengaged. The study shows that Cambodian youth are moving from post-conflict disengagement to active democratic participation by utilizing theory, history, and regional perspectives. While political socialization theory stresses the role of civic initiatives, NGOs, and schools in transferring democratic skills, social capital theory emphasizes how community networks promote trust and efficacy. Youth are using creativity, inclusiveness, and digital activism to increase participation despite persistent obstacles like political risk, generational gaps, and limitations on free speech. According to the findings, Cambodian young are increasingly playing a crucial role in determining the course of democratic development with the help of community institutions.
References
Aspinall, E., & Mietzner, M. (2010). Problems of democratisation in Indonesia: Elections, institutions and society. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Bennett, W. L., Wells, C., & Freelon, D. (2011). Communicating civic engagement: Contrasting models of citizenship in the youth web sphere. Journal of Communication, 61(5), 835–856. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01588.x
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In I. Szeman & T. Kaposy (Eds.), Cultural theory: An anthology (pp. 81–93). Wiley Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.2307/1175546
Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. sage.
Campbell, A., & Miller, W. E. (1954). The voter decides. Row, Peterson.
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S120. https://doi.org/10.1086/228943
Comfrel. (2022). Finding and summary report on the Commune/Sangkat councils election, 5th Mandate 2022. COMFREL. https://comfrel.org/english/finding-and-summary-report-on-the-commune-sangkat-councils-election-2022/
Croke, K., Grossman, G., Larreguy, H. A., & Marshall, J. (2016). Deliberate disengagement: How education can decrease political participation in electoral authoritarian regimes. American Political Science Review, 110(3), 579–600. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055416000253
Damon, W. (2008). The path to purpose: Helping our children find their calling in life. Simon and Schuster.
Freedom House. (2022). Freedom on the Net 2022: Countering an authoritarian overhaul of the internet. Freedom House. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2022/countering-authoritarian-overhaul-internet
Guo, S. (2017). The political economy of Asian transition from communism. Routledge.
Hinton, A. L. (2018). The justice facade: Trials of transition in Cambodia. Oxford University Press.
Hughes, C. (2003). The political economy of the Cambodia’s transition: 1991–2001. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203221754
Huot, S. (2025a). The intersection of social identity, normative influence, and political efficacy: A literature review of Cambodian youth in national elections. Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 03(03), 81–101. https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9140
Huot, S. (2025b). Theoretical reflections on social capital and political efficacy: Lessons for Cambodian youth participation. Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 8(2), 104–113. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20250802.18
Huot, S. (2026a). Digital diplomacy in Cambodia: Embracing artificial intelligence for strategic engagement and national development. In A. Turan & H. Ucuzal (Eds.), Diplomacy in the age of artificial intelligence (pp. 307–330). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-4937-4.ch013
Huot, S. (2026b). From support to participation: Reviewing the role of community in shaping political engagement and efficacy in Cambodia’s youth. International Journal of Political Science and Governance, 8(3), 103–109. https://doi.org/10.33545/26646021.2026.v8.i3b.938
Huot, S., & Chheang, S. (2026a). Artificial intelligence and human rights in Cambodia: Pathways to social justice and positive developmental progress. In S. Pasupuleti & U. Yadav (Eds.), Safeguarding social justice and human rights in the age of AI (pp. 355–386). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-6598-5.ch016
Huot, S., & Chheang, S. (2026b). Mobilizing through the screen: Digital citizenship and political participation among Cambodian youth. In S. B. Apata & M. O. Oyenuga (Eds.), Youth civic engagement and political participation in digital spaces (pp. 433–456). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-5581-8.ch015
Huot, S., & Chheang, S. (2026c). Public security and trust-building in Cambodia: Navigating challenges of the post-truth era for positive developmental progress. In O. Ağırdil & U. Ayhan (Eds.), Navigating public security in the age of post-truth: Challenges and implications (pp. 245–274). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-6786-6.ch009
Len, A., & Sokphea, Y. (2021). Civil society organisations and youth civic engagement in Cambodia. CDRI Working Paper Series No. 132. Phnom Penh: CDRI. https://www.cdri.org.kh/storage/pdf/Wp%20132_Civil%20Society%20and%20Youth%20Civic%20Engagement%20at%20a%20Time%20of%20Political%20Change_1637123445.pdf
Ly, B. (2023). Social media and political involvement in Cambodia. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2194565
Mietzner, M. (2012). Indonesia's democratic stagnation: Anti-reformist elites and resilient civil society. Democratization, 19(2), 209–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2011.572620
Morgenbesser, L. (2019). Cambodia's transition to hegemonic authoritarianism. Journal of democracy, 30(1), 158–171. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2019.0012
Myoung, E., & Liou, P.-Y. (2022). Adolescents’ political socialization at school, citizenship self-efficacy, and expected electoral participation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(7), 1305–1316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01581-w
National Institute of Statistics. (2020). General population census of Cambodia 2019: Final results (Final Report). Ministry of Planning, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. https://www.nis.gov.kh/nis/Census2019/Final%20General%20Population%20Census%202019-English.pdf
Niemi, R. G., & Hepburn, M. A. (1995). The rebirth of political socialization. Perspectives on political science, 24(1), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10457097.1995.9941860
Nordås, R., & Davenport, C. (2013). Fight the youth: Youth bulges and state repression. American Journal of Political Science, 57(4), 926–940. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12025
Norén-Nilsson, A. (2024). Non-state actors and anti-corruption work in Cambodia: Gaps, opportunities, and synergies. Bergen: U4Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, Chr. Michelsen Institute. www.u4.no/r/IS2406
Öjendal, J., & Sedara, K. (2011). Real democratization in Cambodia? An empirical review of the potential of a decentralization reform. Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy,, 9, 1–25. https://icld.se/wp-content/uploads/media/working-paper/icld-wp9-printerfriendly.pdf
Ollier, L. C.-P., & Winter, T. (2006). Expressions of Cambodia: the politics of tradition, identity and change. Routledge.
Pickering, E. R. (2025). Youth and development: Exploring opportunities for youth participation in community development in Cambodia [Degree of Master, International Development Studies, Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand]. https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/73361
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. The New York Review of Books.
Sedara, K., & Öjendal, J. (2014). Gatekeepers in local politics: Political parties in Cambodia and their gender policy. CDRI Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Sidel, J. T. (1999). Capital, coercion, and crime: Bossism in the Philippines. Stanford University Press.
Silaka, Comfrel, GADC, & Banteay Srei. (2023). Annual report on empowering women in politics and the 7th legislature national assembly elections 2023. C. Silaka, GADC, Banteay Srei,. https://banteaysrei.info/app/uploads/2025/02/PGW_Women_NAE2023-Report_ENGLISH_Official.pdf
Soeng, R., & Kao, T. (2024). Digital government in promoting trade: The case of Cambodia. In L. Chen & F. Kimura (Eds.), Empowering online public service in Asia: The digital frontier (pp. 269–292). Jakarta: ERIA.
Soeung, S. (2016). Cambodia in 2015: Accommodating generational change. Southeast Asian Affairs, 2016(1), 109–127. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/70/article/627454/pdf
Strangio, S. (2020). In the dragon's shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese century. Yale University Press.
The Asia Foundation. (2023). The state of civic peacebuilding in South and Southeast Asia, 2023. The Asia Foundation. https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/The-State-of-Civic-Peacebuilding-in-South-and-Southeast-Asia-2023.pdf
Transparency International Cambodia. (2022). Cambodian youth policy survey highlights limited knowledge of and involvement in key public policies among Cambodian youth (Survey results from Nov–Dec 2021). . Transparency International Cambodia. https://www.ticambodia.org/cambodian-youth-policy-survey-en
Travouillon, K. (2015). Speaking to an imagined community. How the Paris Peace Agreements shaped ideas of the new political order in Cambodia 1992-93 [Doctoral dissertation, Philipps‑Universität Marburg].
Ung, K. O. (2014). Cambodian youth and political engagement via social media [Master of Arts in Multimedia, Universidade do Porto (Portugal)].
United Nations. (1991). Agreement on a comprehensive political settlement of the Cambodia conflict [Paris Peace Agreements]. United Nations Treaty Series Annex V. https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/1991/40.html
World Bank. (2022). World development indicators: Cambodia. Washington DC: World Bank. https://data.worldbank.org/country/cambodia
Youniss, J., Bales, S., Christmas‐Best, V., Diversi, M., McLaughlin, M., & Silbereisen, R. (2002). Youth civic engagement in the twenty‐first century. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12(1), 121–148. https://doi.org/10.1111/1532-7795.00027
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Voice of Creative Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
