Ethnicity and Governance: Why Africa Continues to Struggle
Open Access
Author:
Hertel, Michelle Renee
Area of Honors:
International Politics
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Elizabeth Claire Carlson, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Gretchen G Casper, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Africa Ethnicity Ethnic Voting
Abstract:
Since gaining independence from their colonizers, most African nations have struggled to form lasting institutions of government, provide quality governance to their citizens, and maintain peace. Many reasons have been proposed for these ongoing problems, but in this paper I will explore the role ethnicity plays in this process. By using the degree to which ethnicity affects individual’s vote choice as a proxy measure of ethnic favoritism from leaders, I argue that high levels of ethnic favoritism are contributing to poor quality of governance throughout Africa.