Alliances of Anarchy: Actor Constellations and Patterns of Electoral Violence

Elections are a cornerstone of democracy, yet many elections are marred by violence. What explains patterns of electoral violence?

While research on the causes of electoral violence has made important headway, existing studies rely on a simplified dichotomy of either the government or opposition as instigators of violence.

The premise of this project is that understanding patterns of electoral violence requires careful consideration of how violence is co-produced by different armed actors, both national and local. The project makes three contributions.

First, we theoretically disaggregate the actors involved in elections and investigate how different actor constellations shape patterns of electoral violence.

Second, by covering both the intensity and form of violence, we advance a more nuanced understanding of patterns of electoral violence that to date remains unaccounted for.

Third, by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches in an analysis of electoral violence in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe, our project paves the way for novel empirical research through a subnational research design that involves new data on the actors involved in electoral violence.

Thus, the project can help us explain why violence is not omnipresent, but concentrated in certain areas and during some elections.

The findings will inform responses to manage electoral violence, of essence for preventing democratic backlash and to secure the lives and political rights of citizens.