Limit search to available items
Book Cover
E-book
Author Nathan, Noah L., 1986- author.

Title Electoral politics and Africa's urban transition : class and ethnicity in Ghana / Noah L. Nathan
Published New York : Cambridge University Press, 2019
©2019

Copies

Description 1 online resource (xii, 344 pages) : illustrations, maps
Series Cambridge studies in comparative politics
Cambridge studies in comparative politics.
Contents Introduction -- Urban politics in a trap -- Urban Ghana in context -- The middle class and programmatic politics -- Class and preferences -- Credibility, patronage, and participation -- Neighborhoods and ethnic competition -- Ethnic competition across neighborhoods -- Distributive politics in urban areas -- Neighborhood context, expectations of favoritism, and voting -- Implications for urban governance -- Turnout inequality and capture in municipal elelctions -- Paths out of the trap?
Summary 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--Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Urbanization -- Political aspects -- Ghana
Identity politics -- Ghana
Metropolitan government -- Ghana
Political participation -- Ghana
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Essays.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Government -- General.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Government -- National.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Reference.
Identity politics
Metropolitan government
Political participation
Politics and government
Urbanization -- Political aspects
SUBJECT Ghana -- Politics and government -- 2001- http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2003011673
Subject Ghana
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9781108693646
1108693644