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Multiethnic Democracy: The Logic of Elections and Policymaking in Kenya

Online ISBN:
9780191887093
Print ISBN:
9780198852735
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Multiethnic Democracy: The Logic of Elections and Policymaking in Kenya

Jeremy Horowitz
Jeremy Horowitz
Assistant Professor of Government, Dartmouth College
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Published online:
20 January 2022
Published in print:
6 January 2022
Online ISBN:
9780191887093
Print ISBN:
9780198852735
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Who are the swing voters in multiethnic democracies? How much effort do parties invest in courting the swing relative to mobilizing supporters in their core ethnic bases? And how does this balance affect the policies leaders propose—and implement—if elected? This book examines the logic of electoral competition and policymaking in Kenya’s emerging multiparty democracy. Using data on voters, campaigns, and policy outcomes, it shows that the pursuit of the swing encourages presidential candidates to offer broad, inclusive promises and for election winners to opt for universal policies that share benefits widely. In doing so, it challenges the view—common to both popular accounts and scholarly work—that where ethnicity is politically salient, multiparty competition inevitably leads parties to focus their electoral efforts on mobilizing narrow ethnic factions and to concentrate rewards on ethnic clientele.

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