Varieties of Clientelism: Machine Politics During Elections

CDDRL Working Paper No. 119

49 Pages Posted: 23 Aug 2010 Last revised: 2 Nov 2010

See all articles by Jordan Gans-Morse

Jordan Gans-Morse

Northwestern University

Sebastian Mazzuca

Harvard University

Simeon Nichter

Harvard University; University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

Date Written: August 23, 2010

Abstract

Clientelist parties (or political machines) engage in a variety of strategies during elections. Most studies focus exclusively on “vote buying”, a strategy that rewards opposing voters for switching their vote choices. Yet in many countries, machines also adopt other strategies, such as activating their passive constituencies through “turnout buying”. What factors explain variation in patterns of clientelism during elections? We develop an analytical framework and formal model that highlight the role of individual and contextual factors. Political machines focus on two key attributes of individuals – political preferences and inclination to vote – when choosing their mix of clientelist strategies. Machines also tailor their mix to five contextual factors: compulsory voting, machine support, political polarization, salience of political preferences, and strength of ballot secrecy. Evidence from Argentina, Brazil, and Russia is consistent with these findings.

Suggested Citation

Gans-Morse, Jordan and Mazzuca, Sebastian and Nichter, Simeon, Varieties of Clientelism: Machine Politics During Elections (August 23, 2010). CDDRL Working Paper No. 119, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1664112 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1664112

Jordan Gans-Morse

Northwestern University ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Sebastian Mazzuca

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Simeon Nichter (Contact Author)

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) ( email )

9500 Gilman Drive
Mail Code 0502
La Jolla, CA 92093-0112
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
254
Abstract Views
1,511
Rank
219,115
PlumX Metrics