Elite Politics in Africa (Panel I)

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

This is the first of two sister panels focusing on political elites (e.g., ministers, MPs, and chiefs) in Africa. The papers examine their origins, their political strategies, and their roles in governance. Beiser-McGrath and Lee assess how economic crises affect the strategies of African leaders in appointing ministers. Nandong develops a formal model to better understand the agency problems of political leaders. Ofosu examines how party selection mechanisms affect the quality of MP behavior in the Parliament of Ghana. Kroeger examines ministerial selection into cabinets following political transitions. Finally, Tang leverages data on aid projects in Zambia to find that some infrastructure projects are more susceptible to regional favoritism than others.

Sub Unit

• Division 53: African Politics

Chair

• Leonardo R. Arriola University of California, Berkeley

Discussants

• Catherine Boone London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

• Noah Nathan Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Individual Presentations

• Economic Crisis and Political Selection: Ministerial Appointments in Africa - Janina Beiser-McGrath, Royal Holloway; Dongil Lee, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

• Reputation for Sharing Power - Gaetan Nandong, New York University

• How Legislators Represent Constituents in Ghana's Parliament - George Kwaku Ofosu, London School of Economics and Political Science

• Minister Selection after Regular Leadership Transitions in African Autocracies - Alex Kroeger, Texas State University

• Incumbent Resilience and Service Delivery in Africa - Keyi Tang, ESADE Business School