Land grievances and the mobilization of electoral violence
Evidence from Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3918308 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kathleen Klaus (0000-0001-7085-4835, University of Wisconsin–Madison), Matthew I Mitchell (0000-0003-1407-8741, Saint Paul University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 622-635 |
| Publication date | 2015-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Peace Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3433 • E-ISSN: 1460-3578 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0022343315580145 |
| OpenAlex | W2139850367 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 64 |
| References cited | 43 |
Recent studies have asked why elites resort to violence, yet many overlook the process and dynamics of mobilizing violence. How do politicians convince their supporters to fight ? This article argues that in multi-ethnic and democratizing societies where land and property rights are weak and politicized, land grievances can provide leaders with a powerful tool to organize electoral violence. We develop a theory to show how land grievances can give rise to violent mobilization when leaders frame elections as a threat to the land security of supporters or an opportunity to reclaim land or strengthen land rights. Conversely, land grievances are ineffective when citizens do not believe that elections signal a credible threat to their land security or an opportunity to strengthen land rights. We further specify how the type of land grievance shapes the logic and form of violent action. Grievances based on land insecurity shape a pre-emptive logic of violence, while grievances based on competing land claims often shape an opportunistic logic of electoral violence. The article examines the validity of our theory using a comparative case study between zones of escalation and non-escalation of violence during post-electoral crises in Kenya (2007-08) and Côte d'Ivoire (2010-11). By observing the variation between positive and negative cases, the article identifies factors that foment and constrain the mobilization of election violence
Geography · Grievance · Insurgency · Land tenure · Mobilization · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Security forces · Sociology · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development · Land Rights and Reforms · Law · Political Conflict and Governance
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Internal Migration and Resource Conflict
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The Political Economy of Cocoa in Nigeria
Post-election violence in Kenya
Stabilization and Local Conflicts
Deciphering ‘Sons of the Soil’ Conflicts
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The Power of Appointment
Patronage or policy? The politics of property rights formalization in Kenya
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Unpacking Urban (Dis)Continuities of Postwar Violence
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Issues and Actors in African Nonstate Conflicts
War, land, and agrarian change
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Electoral Politics in Africa since 1990
Political Violence in Kenya
Democracy in Ghana
Uneven accountability in the wake of political violence
Migration, sons of the soil conflict, and international relations
Contentious cities? Urban growth and electoral violence in Africa
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Protecting Forests From “Foreigners”? Environmental Activists and Ethno‐Environmentalism in Côte d'Ivoire
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The effect of alternation in power on electoral intimidation in democratizing regimes
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Electoral violence
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Renting political violence
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The Politics of Property Rights Institutions in Africa
Property and Political Order in Africa
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Migration, citizenship and autochthony
The legacy of the white highlands
Democratization and the Danger of War
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Why Minorities Rebel
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Violence and Democracy
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Why Do Ethnic Groups Rebel? New Data and Analysis
The law of the land
Outside the autochthon-migrant configuration
Electoral Violence in Conflict-Ridden Societies
Armed conflicts, 1946-2013
Introducing Acled
The Possibility Principle
The Political Salience of Cultural Difference
Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War
"The War of "Who Is Who
The Kenyan Elections of 2007
Can Moral Ethnicity Trump Political Tribalism? The Struggle for Land and Nation in Kenya
Grievances do matter in mobilization
| Unique citing works | 64 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5,82 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2026 (12) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 64 |