Central Data Catalog
Citation Information
Type | Working Paper - Afrobarometer Working Paper no. 106 |
Title | Is clientelism at work in African elections? A study of voting behavior in Kenya and Zambia |
Author(s) | |
Issue | 106 |
Publication (Day/Month/Year) | 2009 |
Page numbers | 1-12 |
URL | http://afrobarometer.org/publications/wp106-clientelism-work-african-elections-study-voting-behavior-kenya-and-zambia |
Abstract | In this study I challenge the notion that personalism and clientelism structure voting behavior in Africa. Using a unique combination of data sources --- survey responses from the Afrobarometer project merged with constituency-level election returns --- I test the relative power of two interpersonal, clientelistic interactions between voters and members of parliament (MPs), vs. how often MPs visit their constituency, in predicting election outcomes. Consistent with the argument that voters are more interested in local public goods than private goods, I find that neither being offered a gift in return for a vote,nor being in direct contact with an MP makes voters more likely to support their MP, but that visiting the constituency helps an incumbent's re-election bid. These results contribute to a burgeoning agenda on voting behavior in Africa that focuses on the agency of individual voters. |
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» | Africa - Afrobarometer Survey 2002-2004, Merged 16 Country, Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), Michigan State University (MSU), Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) |
» | Africa - Afrobarometer Survey 2005-2006, Merged 18 Country, Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), Michigan State University (MSU), Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) |
Young J, Daniel. "Is clientelism at work in African elections? A study of voting behavior in Kenya and Zambia." Afrobarometer Working Paper no. 106 , no. 106 (2009).