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Viewing Violence Through a Partisan Lens: How Electoral Violence Shapes Citizens’ Support for Democracy
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Peace and Conflict Research.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5251-7309
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Peace and Conflict Research.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0833-8765
2025 (English)In: Government and Opposition, ISSN 0017-257X, E-ISSN 1477-7053, Vol. 60, no 2, p. 313-334Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In many elections across the world, the regime in power uses violence to influence electoral dynamics and outcomes. What is the effect of such violence on citizens' attitudes to democracy? We argue that the effect of government-perpetrated electoral violence on citizens' democratic commitment will diverge depending on whether the individual supports the ruling or opposition party. While those affiliated with the opposition should become more likely to support democracy in the wake of government violence, we expect those affiliated with the incumbent to support more power concentrated in the hands of the executive. We examine these expectations using cross-national, geo-referenced survey data from the Afrobarometer, alongside event data on electoral violence. We find that while incumbent supporters generally display lower baseline support for democracy in the absence of violence, violent elections do not further erode their democratic commitment. Violence is, however, associated with increased support for democracy amongst opposition supporters.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Cambridge University Press, 2025. Vol. 60, no 2, p. 313-334
Keywords [en]
Electoral violence, Support for democracy, Afrobarometer, Partisanship
National Category
Peace and Conflict Studies Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-539592DOI: 10.1017/gov.2024.17ISI: 001325964700001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85207122808OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-539592DiVA, id: diva2:1902688
Funder
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, KAW 2017.0141Available from: 2024-10-02 Created: 2024-10-02 Last updated: 2026-02-16Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Precarious Paths to Democracy: Electoral Violence and the Struggle for Democratization
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Precarious Paths to Democracy: Electoral Violence and the Struggle for Democratization
2024 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Although nearly all states have adopted multiparty elections, democracy still struggles to firmly take root in many parts of the world. This dissertation examines the relationship between electoral violence and democratization using a multi-method approach. Each of the four essays takes a unique perspective on the link between electoral violence and democratization, focusing on citizens, political parties, and constitution-making processes. Essay I explores how electoral violence dampens the democratizing effects of repeated elections, finding that only peaceful elections contribute to liberal democracy. Essay II analyzes citizen responses to government-perpetrated electoral violence. Essay III examines how political violence influenced interparty negotiations during Turkey’s 2011–2013 constitution-making process. Essay IV finds that in hybrid regimes, negotiated constitutional reforms can reduce government-led electoral violence but have little impact on violence perpetrated by non-state actors. The dissertation makes three main contributions. First, it offers nuanced insights into how electoral violence undermines democratization across multiple dimensions and levels. The findings highlight the importance of adopting a partisan lens to grasp how violence affects different political actors and constituencies. Second, the dissertation highlights an understudied relationship between electoral violence and constitution-making. It demonstrates the conditions under which constitutional reform can help mitigate violence and when it cannot. The findings also highlight how violence poses challenges to constitution-making, underscoring the complexity of implementing democratic reforms when violence and polarization persist. Third, the research elucidates how partisanship shapes the impact of electoral violence on support for democracy. It reveals that while opposition supporters may push for democratic reforms or resist autocratization in the face of government-perpetrated electoral violence, incumbent supporters and non-partisans remain, on average, unmoved. This complicates efforts to advance and protect democracy if intraparty accountability toward violent incumbents is low.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, 2024. p. 44
Series
Report / Department of Peace and Conflict Research, ISSN 0566-8808 ; 131
Keywords
Democratization, electoral violence, constitution-making, political parties, partisanship, Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa, hybrid regimes
National Category
Peace and Conflict Studies Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Research subject
Peace and Conflict Research
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-539354 (URN)978-91-506-3073-2 (ISBN)
Public defence
2024-11-22, Brusewitzsalen, Gamla Torget 6, Uppsala, 13:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Projects
Electoral Violence: A Threat to Democratic Transition and Consolidation?
Funder
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, KAW 2017.0141
Available from: 2024-10-30 Created: 2024-10-02 Last updated: 2025-02-20

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Fjelde, HanneOlafsdottir, Gudlaug

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