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Replication Data for: "Electoral Consequences of Colonial Invention: Brokers, Chiefs, and Distribution in Northern Ghana

Domain:

socioeconomic

Record type:

dataset
Creator:
Nat
Editor:
Nat
Publisher:
Har
Host:avatar
I study the effects of traditional chiefs -- a common type of broker -- on voters' ability to extract state resources from politicians. Using original data from Northern Ghana, I show that chieftaincy positions invented by colonial authorities are especially prone to capture, leaving voters worse off compared both to more accountable chiefs whose authority dates to the pre-colonial period and to voters who lack formal chiefs who can serve as brokers. The latter comparison exploits exogenous assignment of ethnic groups to the colonial invention of chieftaincy in the late-19th century. The findings suggest that whether voters benefit from brokers amidst clientelistic electoral competition depends on the accountability relationship between brokers and their clients.

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