Short Abstract

This panel is dedicated to the study of political elites in Africa at various governmental levels. We welcome contributions focusing on how people become political elites, how elites navigate challenging institutional environments, as well as elites’ career development.

Long Abstract

Political regimes in Africa have often been regarded from the viewpoint of a single personalist leader or ‘big man’ who controls other elites through a neopatrimonial logic of money politics, with financial resources mainly derived from the state. This simplified pyramid structure of power and control is a useful analytical ideal type but also risks obscuring the realities of most political elites in Africa. This panel seeks to bring in more analytical complexity by studying these elites in their own right rather than simply as links in a patronage-based chain connecting an apex ruler to citizens.

The panel is interested in papers focusing on a diverse set of political elites, defined as politicians and party leaders, whether active in national level politics or local levels. We are interested in questions including: Who are the political elites and how are they similar or different from ordinary citizens? How do political careers develop, evolve, or even fail? How do politicians manage relationships with other elites? And how do elites gain power over others or become trapped in dependency relations?

We welcome submissions making use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Good examples include studies making use of extensive biographical data on elite backgrounds or data on elite behavior in formal institutions as well as in informal relations. Rich ethnographic data following elites in their daily lives or interviews providing in-depth insights into their strategies are also strongly welcomed.

This Panel has 1 pending paper proposal.
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