Multiethnic Coalitions in Africa: Business Financing of Opposition Election Campaigns (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics) - Softcover

Arriola, Leonardo R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107605431 ISBN 13: 9781107605435

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Incumbent leaders in African countries typically keep themselves in power, winning election after election, by using state resources to enlist the support of politicians from other ethnic groups. It is less evident how opposition politicians can form the electoral alliances needed to compete against these entrenched incumbents. This book explains how the business-state relationship can influence coalition bargaining among opposition politicians representing different ethnic groups. It combines cross-national analyses of African countries with in-depth case studies of Cameroon and Kenya to show that incumbents actively manipulate financial controls and institutions in order to prevent members of the business community -- the main funders of parties in poor countries -- from supporting their opposition. It demonstrates that opposition politicians are more likely to build multiethnic coalitions once incumbents have lost their ability to blackmail the business sector through financial reprisals.
Multiethnic Coalitions in Africa received the Best Book Award in 2013 from the African Politics Conference Group, an organized section of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and the African Studies Association (ASA). The book was also recognized in 2014 with an Honorable Mention for the Gregory Luebbert Prize for best book from the Comparative Politics section of the American Political Science Association (APSA).

About this title

Book Description:

Many claim that Africa's long-ruling incumbents are able to hold onto power because opposition politicians divide the vote along ethnic lines. This book shows that ethnic divisions do not prevent opposition politicians from working together, but lack of money for endorsements from politicians who belong to other ethnic groups does. Financial reforms enable businesspeople to start providing money to the opposition without fear of punishment from the incumbent. This allows multi-ethnic opposition coalitions to form in African countries.

About the Author:

Leonardo R. Arriola is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on electoral politics, ethnic politics, and political violence in developing countries. He has conducted field research in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, and Senegal. His research has been published in scholarly journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, and World Politics.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1107605431
• ISBN 13: 9781107605435
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328