Land Quality and Corruption among Traditional Leaders

• In Event: Autocratic and Traditional Leaders

Abstract

Some scholars argue that traditional leaders are corrupt and unaccountable. Others claim that there are non-electoral forms of accountability that provide a check on traditional leaders’ behavior. Who is right and under what conditions do traditional leaders corruptly abuse their prerogatives? Using novel data on informal accountability mechanisms and perception of corruption among African traditional leaders, we show that chiefs are subject to what we call a “chiefs’ resource curse.” When traditional leaders have control over high-quality land in a context where informal checks on chiefs’ powers are weak, they tend to be corrupt. When, on the other hand, control over valuable resources is complemented by strong customary norms of “clean” behavior, traditional leaders’ corrupt behavior is more limited.

Authors

• Vladimir Chlouba, University of Richmond

• Rasheed Ibrahim, University of Notre Dame