Natalie Wenzell Letsa
Biographic Data
| ID | 679160 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Natalie Wenzell Letsa |
| GIVEN NAMES | Natalie Wenzell |
| FAMILY NAME | Letsa |
| SIGNATURE | LETSA N W |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Oklahoma |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1187-565X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 72 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Legacies of Violence From the Union Des Populations Du Cameroun (Upc) Conflict: Grievance and Opposition in Cameroon
How do the effects of victimization from political violence reverberate in repressive post-conflict environments? Scholars have clarified the politicizing and mobilizing legacies of violence in politically liberal environments. Our study extends the analysis of victimization to an understudied autocratic context: Cameroon. Southern Cameroon was the site of an extended conflict between the Union des populations du Cameroun (UPC) and the colonial F…
State-Building, Collective Efficacy, and the Co-Production of Public Goods in Rural Africa
Collective efficacy—the shared expectation that a community can coordinate around desired outcomes—is critical for understanding development in rural Africa, where villagers often shoulder the brunt of local development initiatives. We argue that distinct modes of state-building generated uneven endowments of collective efficacy in the hinterlands of African states: more interventionist state-building oriented political action upwards towards the…
Partisanship and Political Socialization in Electoral Autocracies
In electoral autocracies, why do some people actively support political parties while others choose to not get involved in politics? Further, what differentiates those who choose to support the ruling party from those who support the opposition? Existing research has proposed that people support ruling parties primarily to extract economic benefits from the state while people support opposition parties primarily for ideological reasons. However, …
Judge, landlord, broker, watchman: Assessing variation in chiefly duties and authority in the Ghana–Togo Borderlands
This paper seeks to broaden the framework for understanding the many different roles that traditional leaders play in their communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Using data from an original public opinion survey along the Ghana–Togo border, we find that one of the most important roles of the chieftaincy is to maintain law and order: resolving disputes and keeping the community safe from crime. However, we also find considerable variation in what chi…
Autocratic Legalism, Partisanship, and Popular Legitimation in Authoritarian Cameroon
Authoritarian regimes regularly turn to the law to justify repression. This article examines whether invoking legal institutions has a persuasive effect on public perceptions of repression, and whether that effect is shaped by partisanship. The article uses the case of Cameroon’s Special Criminal Tribunal, created in 2011 to prosecute high-profile corruption cases. A survey experiment was designed that describes the arrest and trial of a suspecte…
The Autocratic Middle Class: How State Dependency Reduces the Demand for Democracy
A Trail of Crab Tracks by Patrice Nganang
Reviewed by: A Trail of Crab Tracks by Patrice Nganang Natalie Wenzell Letsa Patrice Nganang A Trail of Crab Tracks Trans. Amy B. Reid. New York. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2022. 419 pages. PATRICE NGANANG'S NEWLY translated novel, A Trail of Crab Tracks, follows the relationship between Tanou, a Cameroonian American professor, and his father, Nithap, an aging retiree who is reluctantly persuaded to visit his son in the US. The first half of the …
The Mechanisms of Direct and Indirect Rule: Colonialism and Economic Development in Africa
A number of studies have found that British colonialism — specifically its policy of indirect rule — improved local economic development relative to the French policy of direct rule. There is less consensus, however, as to why indirect rule would produce better economic outcomes. This article proposes three mechanisms linking indirect rule to development: the devolution of power to local communities, the empowerment of traditional authorities, an…
Expressive Voting in Autocracies: A Theory of Non-Economic Participation with Evidence from Cameroon
Why do people vote in autocratic elections? Until now, most answers to this question have argued that people vote because they expect a material reward, such as patronage or a direct transfer via vote-buying, or as a way of rewarding the regime for its economic performance. I argue that citizens also vote for different non-economic, expressive reasons, such as a sense of civic duty or a desire to improve the democratic process. I present data fro…
The political geography of electoral autocracies: The influence of party strongholds on political beliefs in Africa
Popular Support for Democracy in Autocratic Regimes: A Micro-Level Analysis of Preferences
The people's choice: Popular (il)legitimacy in autocratic Cameroon
While many analysts assume that the autocratic regime of Paul Biya is deeply unpopular amongst ordinary Cameroonians, there is almost no existing analysis of public opinion in Cameroon. In fact, Cameroonians are deeply divided in their beliefs about politics; while many view the government as democratic and legitimate, others see the regime as entirely autocratic. What explains these fundamental divides in beliefs? While existing theories point t…
Voting for peace, mobilizing for war: Post-Conflict Voter Turnout and Civil War Recurrence
In democratic elections around the world, high levels of voter turnout are frequently praised as a sign of democratic legitimacy and consolidation. However, while popular participation should be lauded in many circumstances, under certain conditions it can also have nefarious side effects. In post-conflict countries, high levels of voter turnout may make it easier for militants to return to arms because everyday people are invested in the politic…
The political geography of electoral autocracies: The influence of party strongholds on political beliefs in Africa
Popular Support for Democracy in Autocratic Regimes: A Micro-Level Analysis of Preferences
Expressive Voting in Autocracies: A Theory of Non-Economic Participation with Evidence from Cameroon
Why do people vote in autocratic elections? Until now, most answers to this question have argued that people vote because they expect a material reward, such as patronage or a direct transfer via vote-buying, or as a way of rewarding the regime for its economic performance. I argue that citizens also vote for different non-economic, expressive reasons, such as a sense of civic duty or a desire to improve the democratic process. I present data fro…
The people's choice: Popular (il)legitimacy in autocratic Cameroon
While many analysts assume that the autocratic regime of Paul Biya is deeply unpopular amongst ordinary Cameroonians, there is almost no existing analysis of public opinion in Cameroon. In fact, Cameroonians are deeply divided in their beliefs about politics; while many view the government as democratic and legitimate, others see the regime as entirely autocratic. What explains these fundamental divides in beliefs? While existing theories point t…
The Mechanisms of Direct and Indirect Rule: Colonialism and Economic Development in Africa
A number of studies have found that British colonialism — specifically its policy of indirect rule — improved local economic development relative to the French policy of direct rule. There is less consensus, however, as to why indirect rule would produce better economic outcomes. This article proposes three mechanisms linking indirect rule to development: the devolution of power to local communities, the empowerment of traditional authorities, an…
Judge, landlord, broker, watchman: Assessing variation in chiefly duties and authority in the Ghana–Togo Borderlands
This paper seeks to broaden the framework for understanding the many different roles that traditional leaders play in their communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Using data from an original public opinion survey along the Ghana–Togo border, we find that one of the most important roles of the chieftaincy is to maintain law and order: resolving disputes and keeping the community safe from crime. However, we also find considerable variation in what chi…
Autocratic Legalism, Partisanship, and Popular Legitimation in Authoritarian Cameroon
Authoritarian regimes regularly turn to the law to justify repression. This article examines whether invoking legal institutions has a persuasive effect on public perceptions of repression, and whether that effect is shaped by partisanship. The article uses the case of Cameroon’s Special Criminal Tribunal, created in 2011 to prosecute high-profile corruption cases. A survey experiment was designed that describes the arrest and trial of a suspecte…
Partisanship and Political Socialization in Electoral Autocracies
In electoral autocracies, why do some people actively support political parties while others choose to not get involved in politics? Further, what differentiates those who choose to support the ruling party from those who support the opposition? Existing research has proposed that people support ruling parties primarily to extract economic benefits from the state while people support opposition parties primarily for ideological reasons. However, …
Voting for peace, mobilizing for war: Post-Conflict Voter Turnout and Civil War Recurrence
In democratic elections around the world, high levels of voter turnout are frequently praised as a sign of democratic legitimacy and consolidation. However, while popular participation should be lauded in many circumstances, under certain conditions it can also have nefarious side effects. In post-conflict countries, high levels of voter turnout may make it easier for militants to return to arms because everyday people are invested in the politic…
Voting for peace, mobilizing for war: Post-Conflict Voter Turnout and Civil War Recurrence
In democratic elections around the world, high levels of voter turnout are frequently praised as a sign of democratic legitimacy and consolidation. However, while popular participation should be lauded in many circumstances, under certain conditions it can also have nefarious side effects. In post-conflict countries, high levels of voter turnout may make it easier for militants to return to arms because everyday people are invested in the politic…
The people's choice: Popular (il)legitimacy in autocratic Cameroon
While many analysts assume that the autocratic regime of Paul Biya is deeply unpopular amongst ordinary Cameroonians, there is almost no existing analysis of public opinion in Cameroon. In fact, Cameroonians are deeply divided in their beliefs about politics; while many view the government as democratic and legitimate, others see the regime as entirely autocratic. What explains these fundamental divides in beliefs? While existing theories point t…
Popular Support for Democracy in Autocratic Regimes: A Micro-Level Analysis of Preferences
The political geography of electoral autocracies: The influence of party strongholds on political beliefs in Africa
The Mechanisms of Direct and Indirect Rule: Colonialism and Economic Development in Africa
A number of studies have found that British colonialism — specifically its policy of indirect rule — improved local economic development relative to the French policy of direct rule. There is less consensus, however, as to why indirect rule would produce better economic outcomes. This article proposes three mechanisms linking indirect rule to development: the devolution of power to local communities, the empowerment of traditional authorities, an…
Expressive Voting in Autocracies: A Theory of Non-Economic Participation with Evidence from Cameroon
Why do people vote in autocratic elections? Until now, most answers to this question have argued that people vote because they expect a material reward, such as patronage or a direct transfer via vote-buying, or as a way of rewarding the regime for its economic performance. I argue that citizens also vote for different non-economic, expressive reasons, such as a sense of civic duty or a desire to improve the democratic process. I present data fro…
The Autocratic Middle Class: How State Dependency Reduces the Demand for Democracy
A Trail of Crab Tracks by Patrice Nganang
Reviewed by: A Trail of Crab Tracks by Patrice Nganang Natalie Wenzell Letsa Patrice Nganang A Trail of Crab Tracks Trans. Amy B. Reid. New York. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2022. 419 pages. PATRICE NGANANG'S NEWLY translated novel, A Trail of Crab Tracks, follows the relationship between Tanou, a Cameroonian American professor, and his father, Nithap, an aging retiree who is reluctantly persuaded to visit his son in the US. The first half of the …
Judge, landlord, broker, watchman: Assessing variation in chiefly duties and authority in the Ghana–Togo Borderlands
This paper seeks to broaden the framework for understanding the many different roles that traditional leaders play in their communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Using data from an original public opinion survey along the Ghana–Togo border, we find that one of the most important roles of the chieftaincy is to maintain law and order: resolving disputes and keeping the community safe from crime. However, we also find considerable variation in what chi…
Autocratic Legalism, Partisanship, and Popular Legitimation in Authoritarian Cameroon
Authoritarian regimes regularly turn to the law to justify repression. This article examines whether invoking legal institutions has a persuasive effect on public perceptions of repression, and whether that effect is shaped by partisanship. The article uses the case of Cameroon’s Special Criminal Tribunal, created in 2011 to prosecute high-profile corruption cases. A survey experiment was designed that describes the arrest and trial of a suspecte…
Partisanship and Political Socialization in Electoral Autocracies
In electoral autocracies, why do some people actively support political parties while others choose to not get involved in politics? Further, what differentiates those who choose to support the ruling party from those who support the opposition? Existing research has proposed that people support ruling parties primarily to extract economic benefits from the state while people support opposition parties primarily for ideological reasons. However, …
Legacies of Violence From the Union Des Populations Du Cameroun (Upc) Conflict: Grievance and Opposition in Cameroon
How do the effects of victimization from political violence reverberate in repressive post-conflict environments? Scholars have clarified the politicizing and mobilizing legacies of violence in politically liberal environments. Our study extends the analysis of victimization to an understudied autocratic context: Cameroon. Southern Cameroon was the site of an extended conflict between the Union des populations du Cameroun (UPC) and the colonial F…
State-Building, Collective Efficacy, and the Co-Production of Public Goods in Rural Africa
Collective efficacy—the shared expectation that a community can coordinate around desired outcomes—is critical for understanding development in rural Africa, where villagers often shoulder the brunt of local development initiatives. We argue that distinct modes of state-building generated uneven endowments of collective efficacy in the hinterlands of African states: more interventionist state-building oriented political action upwards towards the…
Politics (12 works) · Political science (11 works) · Law (10 works) · Law (9 works) · Political economy (9 works) · Autocracy (8 works) · Democracy (8 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (8 works) · Economics (7 works) · Sociology (7 works)