Partisan Bias in Electoral Conflict: Tanzania's Kawe Constituency
Open Access
Author:
Wagner, Seamus Patrick
Area of Honors:
International Politics
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Elizabeth Claire Carlson, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Michael Barth Berkman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Electoral Conflict Partisan Bias
Abstract:
This work examines what factors influence varied perceptions of electoral conflict using a case study in Kawe Constituency, Tanzania. Using an original survey on electoral violence in Tanzania, I find substantial partisan effects on the perception of conflict. I find that those who support the incumbent party were 12 percentage points less likely to report that violence had occurred in their constituency, despite widespread local news reports and other outside evidence that violence had indeed occurred. Other factors such as age, gender, wealth, and religion did not have substantial effects on perceptions. This study contributes to a fledgling literature examining the generalizability of Americanist theories on partisanship and partisan bias in the context of new or weak African democracies.
