Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions)

This political science monograph develops a theoretical framework for understanding how political institutions shape ethnic identity and conflict in Africa. Challenging the common assumption that ethnic divisions are fixed and primordial, the author argues that the salience of ethnic identity is often a product of institutional design. By analyzing electoral rules and social cleavages, the book demonstrates how specific institutional arrangements can either exacerbate or mitigate ethnic polarization, using Zambia as a primary case study to illustrate these dynamics.

Description adapted from Open Library bibliographic data ↗.