The moral economy of elections in Africa : democracy, voting and virtue / Nic Cheeseman, Gabrielle Lynch, Justin Willis.

Author
Cheeseman, Nic, 1979- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Description
1 online resource (xv, 359 pages)

Details

Subject(s)
Summary note
Do elections turn people into democratic citizens? Elections have long been seen as a way to foster democracy, development and security in Africa, with many hoping that the secret ballot would transform states. Adopting a new approach that focusses on the moral economy of elections, Nic Cheeseman, Gabrielle Lynch and Justin Willis show how elections are shaped by competing visions of what it means to be a good leader, bureaucrat or citizen. Using a mixed-methods study of elections in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, they explore moral claims made by officials, politicians, civil society, international observers and voters themselves. This radical new lens reveals that elections are the site of intense moral contestation, which helps to explain why there is such vigourous participation in processes that often seem flawed. Demonstrating the impact of these debates on six decades of electoral practice, they explain why the behaviour of those involved so frequently transgresses national law and international norms, as well as the ways in which such transgressions are evaluated and critiqued - so that despite the purported significance of 'vote-buying', the candidates that spend the most do not
Notes
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 18 Dec 2020).
Contents
  • Towards a moral economy of elections in Africa
  • Elections, states and citizens : a history of the ballot in Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda
  • National exercises : making states and citizens through the ballot
  • The eyes of the world are upon us : the aspirations and limitations of international election observation
  • Creating democrats : civil society and voter education
  • Performing virtue : politicians, leadership, and election campaigns
  • Navigating multiple moralities : popular expectations and experiences of the polls
  • Conclusion : the electoral fallacy revisited.
ISBN
9781108265126 (ebook)
Statement on language in description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...
Other views
Staff view