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This book analyzes several components of democratization and party competition in West Africa focusing on Senegal - a country with one of the longest histories of multiparty elections. It does so in service of examining the origins and consequences of the proliferation of political parties, a trend that has taken hold in Senegal and a variety of other African countries. The author uses novel sources of data to illuminate the economic and political roots of party functions and trajectories by placing party formation, opposition, ruling party loyalty, and presidential turnover into local and regional contexts. This work will appeal to African Studies scholars, professors, graduate students, and policy makers.
List of contents
1. Chapter 1 - Introduction: Party Proliferation and its Consequences in Senegal and Beyond.- 2. Chapter 2 - Theories of Party-Building: Africa, Competitive Authoritarianism, and Democracy.- 3. Chapter 3 - Party Formation and Proliferation on Senegal's Uneven Playing Field.- 4. Chapter 4 - Negotiators or Adversaries? Tracing the Sources of Party Trajectories.- 5. Chapter 5 - Defeating Presidents from Within: Regime Insiders and Turnover in Senegal.- 6. Chapter 6 - Party Loyalty and Defection from the Ruling Party under Proliferation.- 7. Chapter 7 - Conclusion and Notes on Comparative and Policy Perspectives on Party Proliferation in Africa.
About the author
Catherine Lena Kelly is an Advisor at the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative and a scholar-practitioner in Washington, DC, USA.
Summary
This book analyzes several components of democratization and party competition in West Africa focusing on Senegal – a country with one of the longest histories of multiparty elections. It does so in service of examining the origins and consequences of the proliferation of political parties, a trend that has taken hold in Senegal and a variety of other African countries. The author uses novel sources of data to illuminate the economic and political roots of party functions and trajectories by placing party formation, opposition, ruling party loyalty, and presidential turnover into local and regional contexts. This work will appeal to African Studies scholars, professors, graduate students, and policy makers.
