Electoral Politics and Africa's Urban Transition —— Class And Ethnicity In Ghana

----- 选举政治与非洲的城市转型：加纳的阶级和民族

ISBN: 9781108693646 出版年：2019 页码：366 Noah L Nathan Cambridge University Press

Two aspects of contemporary urban life in africa are often described as sources of political change: the emergence of a large urban middle class and high levels of ethnic diversity and inter-ethnic social contact. Many expected that these factors would help spark a transition away from ethnic competition and clientelism toward more programmatic elections. Focusing on urban ghana, this book shows that the growing middle class and high levels of ethnic diversity are not having the anticipated political effects. Instead, urban ghana is stuck in a trap: clientelism and ethnic voting persist in many urban neighborhoods despite changes to the socio-economic characteristics and policy preferences of voters. Through a unique examination of intra-urban variation in patterns of electoral competition, nathan explains why this trap exists, demonstrates its effects on political behavior, and explores how new democracies like ghana can move past it.