Political Economy of Power: Analysis of State and Market Relations in the Context of Marginalization of Traditional Markets in Makassar City

Abstract

This research examines the relational dimensions between the state, capital and people's economic space in the context of the struggle for the existence of traditional markets in Makassar City, with a case study of the Terong Market. Using a critical political economy perspective, this research reveals how unequal power relations between dominant economic actors and the state create structural marginalization of traditional markets. Through policy analysis of Perda No. 15 Tahun 2009 and its implementation, it was identified that local states tend to operate as facilitators of capital interests through policies that are permissive towards modern retail expansion. This research argues that the resilience of traditional markets cannot be separated from a broader political configuration of power, where changes in the political paradigm that place the people's economy as the subject of development are a prerequisite for the sustainability of traditional markets in the contemporary era.