The Puzzle of Clientelism: Political Discretion and Elections Around the World

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Puzzle of Clientelism: Political Discretion and Elections Around the World
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Miriam A. Golden
By (author) Eugenia Nazrullaeva
SeriesElements in Political Economy
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:75
Category/GenrePolitical economy
ISBN/Barcode 9781009323215
ClassificationsDewey:306.2
Audience
General
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
NZ Release Date 31 March 2023
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This Element presents newly-collected cross-national data on reelection rates of lower house national legislators from almost 100 democracies around the world. Reelection rates are low/high in countries where clientelism and vote buying are high/low. Drawing on theory developed to study lobbying, the authors explain why politicians continue clientelist activities although they do not secure reelection. The Element also provides a thorough review of the last decade of literature on clientelism, which the authors define as discretionary resource distribution by political actors. The combination of novel empirical data and theoretically-grounded analysis provides a radically new perspective on clientelism. Finally, the Element suggests that clientelism evolves with economic development, assuming new forms in highly developed democracies but never entirely disappearing.