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To Elect or Not to Elect: Leaders, Alternation in Power and Social Welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Giovanni Carbone
  • Alessandro Pellegata

Abstract

This paper investigates whether and how multiparty elections, introduced in many African countries since the early 1990s, affect a government’s commitment to welfare policies. We hypothesise that contested multiparty elections and turnovers between different leaders and political forces in government – even when democratic standards are not met – positively impact the promotion of social welfare. We test these hypotheses through a cross-sectional and time-series research design, making use of our new, comprehensive ‘Africa Leadership Change’ (ALC) dataset. Empirical results confirm that leaders elected through multiparty elections and countries that experience political alternations in government are associated with higher levels of social welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Giovanni Carbone & Alessandro Pellegata, 2017. "To Elect or Not to Elect: Leaders, Alternation in Power and Social Welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(12), pages 1965-1987, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:53:y:2017:i:12:p:1965-1987
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2017.1279733
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    Cited by:

    1. Sam Hickey & Tom Lavers & Miguel Niño-Zarazúa & Jeremy Seekings, 2018. "The negotiated politics of social protection in sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-34, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Kahsay, Goytom Abraha & Medhin, Haileselassie, 2020. "Leader turnover and forest management outcomes: Micro-level evidence from Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    3. Sam Hickey & Tom Lavers & Miguel Niño-Zarazúa & Jeremy Seekings, 2018. "The negotiated politics of social protection in sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series 034, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Alik-Lagrange, Arthur & Dreier, Sarah K. & Lake, Milli & Porisky, Alesha, 2021. "Social protection and state-society relations in environments of low and uneven state capacity," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 110766, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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