Political Parties and Electoral Clientelism

ISBN-13: 9783031372940 / Angielski / Twarda / 2023

Opis

Contemporary political parties often use state resources to win elections. In this context, electoral clientelism evolved from the straightforward vote buying to sophisticated exchanges in which the relationship between patrons (parties or candidates) and clients (voters) is sometimes difficult to grasp. We address the question how do the distributive politics and electoral clientelism interact, how these forms of interactions differ across various context, and what implications they bring for the functioning of political systems. The special issue provides theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions to the burgeoning literature about the multi-faceted feature of electoral clientelism. It unfolds the complex relationship between distributive politics and clientelism, and conceptualizes electoral clientelism as a dynamic process that occurs through different sequences. It enriches the methodological tools aimed at investigating electoral clientelism. Finally, the special issue approaches clientelism from several perspectives and brings together substantive empirical evidence about the varieties of clientelism around the world.

Spis treści

Chapter 1: Political parties, state resources and electoral clientelism.- Chapter 2: Clientelism and distributive politics in Australia: comparing partisan pork barrel with contingency-based vote-buying.- Chapter 3: Administrative clientelism and policy reform failure: the Western Canada Integrated Land Management experience 1990–2015.- Chapter 4: Authoritarian clientelism: the case of the president’s ‘creatures’ in Cameroon.- Chapter 5: Coordinating the machine: subnational political context and the effectiveness of machine politics.- Chapter 6: Political parties and clientelism in transition countries: evidence from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.- Chapter 7: Does clientelism hinder progressive social policy in Latin America?.- Chapter 8: Conclusion

O autorze

Sergiu Gherghina is Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics, University of Glasgow, UK.

Miroslav Nemčok is Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science, University of Oslo, Norway.

Blurb

Contemporary political parties have harnessed the influence over state resources to secure electoral victories, giving rise to the evolution of electoral clientelism. What was once a simple act of vote buying has transformed into a nuanced system of exchanges, where the intricate ties between patrons (parties or candidates) and clients (voters) can become difficult to grasp. This volume adopts a multifaceted approach by examining clientelism from various perspectives. The authors delve into the dynamics of distributive politics and electoral clientelism, unveiling their intricate interactions and exploring the variations that emerge across diverse contexts. Multiple theoretical contributions provide valuable insights into conceptualizing electoral clientelism as a dynamic process, occurring through different sequences. Moreover, by refining and expanding methodological approaches, readers gain more effective means to investigate and analyze the complexities of clientelistic practices. These advancements contribute to the burgeoning literature on electoral clientelism, making it a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners interested in the complex dynamics of electoral clientelism.

Sergiu Gherghina is Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics, University of Glasgow, UK.

Miroslav Nemčok is Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science, University of Oslo, Norway.