Activist Origins of Political Ambition: Opposition Candidacy in Africa's Electoral Authoritarian Regimes
- 7h 35m
- Keith Weghorst
- Cambridge University Press
- 2022
Why do people run for office with opposition parties in electoral authoritarian regimes, where the risks of running are high, and the chances of victory are bleak? In Activist Origins of Political Ambition, Keith Weghorst offers a theory that candidacy decisions are set in motion in early life events and that civic activism experiences and careers in civil society organizations funnel aspirants towards opposition candidacy in electoral authoritarian regimes. The book also adapts existing explanations of candidacy decisions derived from leading democracies that can be applied to electoral authoritarian contexts. The mixed-methods research design features an in-depth study of Tanzania using original survey data, sequence methods, archival research, and qualitative data combined with an analysis of legislators across authoritarian and democratic regimes in Africa. A first-of-its kind study, the book's account of the origins of candidacy motivations offers contributions to its study in autocracies, as well as in leading democracies and the United States.
- Employs a first-of-its-kind mixed-method empirical strategy drawing from years of field experience
- Expands upon existing work on legislative candidacy, authoritarianism, civil society, and African politics
- Provides readers with framework of innovative and creative rigorous quantitative analyses
About the Author
Keith Weghorst is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the V-Dem Institute in the Department of Political Science at University of Gothenburg. His research focuses on political opposition, legislatures, and civil society in electoral autocracies, with a regional specialization in sub-Saharan Africa.
In this Book
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Running against All Odds
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A Theory of Opposition Candidacy
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Electoral Authoritarianism in Tanzania
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Roots of Ambition—Civic Activism and Career Partisanship
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From Roots to Branches—Career Pathways to Candidacy Choices
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Winning Party Nomination Contests
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Winning General Elections
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Benefits of Winning (and Losing) Elections
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Costs of Competing in Authoritarian Elections
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Testing the Argument across Africa
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Elections and Authoritarianism in the Twenty-first Century
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References
