Summary Any understanding of corruption in Thailand and the Philippines must rest upon a broader analysis of the phenomenon of ‘bossism’ in numerous localities in these two countries. The common manifestations of bossism ‐ local powerbrokers' exercise of effective monopolies over coercive and economic resources within defined bailiwicks ‐ reflect the subordination of the apparatus of the state to elected officials rather than any shared features of society in Thailand and the Philippines. The peculiar variations of bossism found in these two countries are linked to distinct patterns and phasing of state formation. Democratization since the mid‐1980s has stimulated the re‐emergence and strengthening of ‘bossism’ in both countries.