Money for Votes: The Causes and Consequences of Electoral Clientelism in Africa (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781107193727)

Politicians distribute money to voters during campaigns in many low-income democracies. Many observers call this practice 'vote buying'. Money for Votes develops an alternative theory of electoral clientelism that emphasizes the role of monetary handouts in conveying information to voters, helping politicians enhance the credibility of their promises to deliver development resources and particularistic benefits to their constituents. Supported by interviews, experiments, and surveys in Kenya, and additional evidence from qualitative and survey data from elsewhere in Africa, the study tests the implications of this argument, and traces the consequences of electoral clientelism for voter behaviour, ethnic politics, public goods provision, and democratic accountability. Ultimately, the book suggests that the relationship of electoral clientelism to the quality of democracy is far more nuanced than our instincts might suggest.

Author: Eric Kramon
ISBN-10: 1107193729
ISBN-13: 9781107193727
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 11/02/2017
Pages: 244
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.02lbs
Size: 9.54h x 6.45w x 0.74d