This paper asks why ethnic voting varies across localities and proposes a theory that local ethnic geography increases ethnic voting where minority-group voters fear intimidation from majority-group neighbors. The authors test this mechanism using Afrobarometer survey data for Ghana, combined with geocoded survey locations and demographic data, and compare intimidation beliefs against an alternative mechanism based on local public goods provision.
Judicial power is essential for democratic consolidation and rule of law. While conventional wisdom suggests public support stems from apolitical factors, this research argues it may be driven by partisan motivations tied to the executive.
This article examines how fairer elections influence democratic responsiveness through novel experimental designs and data on Constituency Development Fund (CDF) spending by legislators in Ghana. Using a unique quasi-experiment from the 2012 election where constituencies were randomly assigned to varying levels of election-day monitoring, we find that intensive monitoring increased CDF spending by incumbents by nearly 20 percentage points during their terms. While all types of candidates entered parliament equally, the findings suggest this effect stems not from changing who is elected but motivating incumbents through electoral sanction expectations.
Development projects like schools and latrines are popular with politicians and voters alike, yet many abandoned mid-construction.
Does religion promote tolerance or fuel conflict? This article examines how specific religious ideas—universal love versus the notion of one true religion—affect prosocial behavior.
How do legislative primaries affect electoral performance? This question is examined through a novel lens in the context of Ghana's new democracy. Existing theories suggest primaries may hurt parties by selecting extremists or help them choose high-valence candidates, but these mechanisms are challenged where clientelism is prominent.
Conventional theories predict voters reward politicians from the same ethnic group. But new research reveals otherwise.