Political Parties in Africa - Ethnicity and Party Formation

This book examines the effects of ethnicity on polity politics in ten African countries.

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. A new framework for comparison for political parties; 3. Kenya: the ubiquity of ethnic parties; 4. Namibia: the dominance of non-ethnic parties; 5. Ghana: the ubiquity of non-ethnic parties; 6. The diversity of African party politics; 7. Explaining the formation of non-ethnic parties; Conclusion: the emergence of non-ethnic politics.

About the author

Sebastian Elischer is Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics at Leuphana University, Lüneburg and the GIGA Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg.

Summary

This book examines the effects of ethnicity on party politics in ten African countries. Sebastian Elischer finds that five party types exist: the mono-ethnic, the ethnic alliance, the catch-all, the programmatic and the personalistic party. He uses these party types to show that the African political landscape is considerably more diverse than conventionally assumed.

Product details

• Authors: Sebastian Elischer
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 09.09.2013
• EAN: 9781107620445
• ISBN: 978-1-107-62044-5
• No. of pages: 336
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education