Votes, Money And Violence - Political Parties and Election in Sub-Saharan Africa

Following the (re-) introduction of multiparty systems in Africa in the early 1990s, third and fourth elections in Africa??'s new democracies and hybrid regimes are now being seen. Although there is a large and growing literature on democracy and elections in Africa, parties and party systems have hitherto not been the focus of research, which may be surprising given their central role in a liberal democracy. The early works from the 1960s and 1970s provide neither a sound conceptual nor empirical basis. Research on political parties and party systems in Africa is still in its infancy. Various contributions in this volume address the theoretical and conceptual challenges provided by the African parties and party systems with their particular features of weak organization, informal relationships dominated by 'big men' and clientelism within a neopatrimonial setting.

Softcover. English. Nordiska Afrikainstitutet. 2007. ISBN: 9781869141196. 301 pp. Good. Book No: 2504717