Paradox of Traditional Chiefs in Democratic Africa

This book shows that powerful hereditary chiefs do not undermine democracy in Africa but, on some level, facilitate it.

List of contents

Part I. Toward a New Theory of Chiefs: 1. The paradox of chiefs; 2. Conceptualizing chiefs; 3. Traditional leaders and democracy; 4. Chiefs as development brokers; Part II. Chiefs, Development, and Elections in Zambia: 5. Introduction to Zambia; 6. Chiefs and local public goods provision; 7. Electoral king makers; 8. Chiefs and the voter's calculus; Part III. Traditional Leaders in Africa and Beyond: 9. Chiefs and government responsiveness across Africa; 10. Development brokers revisited.

About the author

Kate Baldwin is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yale University, Connecticut. She has conducted field research in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Her work has been published in leading journals in political science, including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, World Politics, and Comparative Politics. An article based on the research in this book won the award for the best article published in the American Journal of Political Science.

Summary

This book is relevant to readers interested in the persistence of traditional institutions in the contemporary world, the possibility for democratic transitions in weak states, the calculus of voters in new democracies, and community-level development in poor countries.

Product details

• Authors: Kate Baldwin, Kate (Yale University Baldwin, Katherine Baldwin, Baldwin Kate
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 12.11.2015
• EAN: 9781107127333
• ISBN: 978-1-107-12733-3
• No. of pages: 260
• Series: Cambridge Studies in Comparati; Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; USA, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Comparative Politics, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / Executive Branch, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / Legislative Branch, Politics & government, Comparative Politics, United States of America, USA, Politics and government, Constitution: government & the state, Constitution: government and the state