<![CDATA[This study examines coffee stalls (Warkop) as informal political spaces that reflect grassroots democratic practices in Indonesia. Warkop functions not only as a site of everyday social interaction but also as an arena for spontaneous and relatively egalitarian political discussions among people from diverse backgrounds. However, the relationship between the exchange of political ideas in these spaces and local practices of patronage and clientelism remains underexplored. This study employs an analytical literature review method by synthesizing various sources and secondary data on political dynamics in informal social spaces, with a focus on everyday political practices and power relations based on personal networks. The findings reveal a dual function of Warkop: on the one hand, it serves as a space for information exchange, public opinion formation, and the strengthening of socio-political networks among citizens; on the other hand, it acts as a medium for local elites to mediate, build, and sustain patronage practices. These findings suggest that Warkop represents an ambiguous form of grassroots democracy, as it encourages political participation while simultaneously reproducing transactional power relations.]]>
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