2024-03-29T08:11:28Z
https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/cgi/oai2
oai:epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de:62825
2020-11-04T13:40:37Z
Indirect Colonial Rule Undermines Support for Democracy: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in Namibia
Lechler, Marie
McNamee, Lachlan
Volkswirtschaft
ddc:330
This article identifies indirect and direct colonial rule as causal factors in shaping support for democracy by exploiting a within-country natural experiment in Namibia. Throughout the colonial era, northern Namibia was indirectly ruled through a system of appointed indigenous traditional elites whereas colonial authorities directly ruled southern Namibia. This variation originally stems from where the progressive extension of direct German control was stopped after a rinderpest epidemic in the 1890s, and, thus, constitutes plausibly exogenous within-country variation in the form of colonial rule. Using this spatial discontinuity, we find that individuals in indirectly ruled areas are less likely to support democracy and turnout at elections. We explore potential mechanisms and find suggestive evidence that the greater influence of traditional leaders in indirectly ruled areas has socialized individuals to accept nonelectoral bases of political authority.
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively
2018-01-01
eng
Comparative Political Studies
doc-type:article
Zeitschriftenartikel
Lechler, Marie und McNamee, Lachlan (2018): Indirect Colonial Rule Undermines Support for Democracy: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in Namibia. In: Comparative Political Studies, Bd. 51, Nr. 14: S. 1858-1898 [PDF, 653kB]
NonPeerReviewed
https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/62825/1/0010414018758760.pdf
application/pdf
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-62825-1
https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/62825/
10.1177/0010414018758760