How social cleavages are represented in a party system affects important political outcomes. In particular, there are a number of reasons why it should matter whether party systems are organized along ethnic versus non-ethnic lines, beyond simply that the issues of political debate are different. These include possible links between ethnic parties and patronage politics, democratic instability, and ethnic violence. The more we know about what .causes. ethnically-based party systems, the better position we are in to design institutions and other policy interventions that prevent their dangers. Building on recent .materialist. literature in ethnic politics, this dissertation thus asks: When and why are ethnic identities politically salient in the party systems of some new democracies and economic identities in others? When are both or neither salient? This project seeks to develop an answer to these questions that applies cross-nationally, specifically to new multiethnic democracies. Methods: This project employs both in-depth fieldwork in two geographic regions and cross-national statistical analysis. Fieldwork in Benin and Bolivia during the 2004-2005 academic year will be used to test the causal mechanisms of the theory presented against those of other theories drawn from the literature using within-country comparisons over time and across regions. Benin and Bolivia were carefully chosen using a .best case. strategy; if the working theory does not hold for these cases, it should be rejected. Data will be drawn from elite interviews; ethnographic observation of election campaigns, political rallies, and other events; and census, electoral, and survey data. Other methods, such as content analysis of local newspaper articles and parliamentary debates also may be used. The cross-national component of the project will be used to explore the external validity of the findings drawn from the cases by testing key predictions. Data for this analysis will be drawn from a new cross-national dataset on political parties, which builds on Professor Kanchan Chandra.s Cross-National Database on Ethnic Parties, as well as other cross-national sources. During the term of the proposed activity, six months of field work would be conducted in each case study country, in Bolivia during September 2004 to February 2005 and in Benin during March through August 2005. Cross-national analysis will be completed during spring 2004 and fall 2005. Broader Impacts: The proposed NSF grant would fund the field research component of a doctoral dissertation in political science at MIT, thus promoting training and learning. The dissertation is scheduled to be completed by June 2006, following which the co-PI of this project will pursue a teaching career. The results of the proposed activity will be broadly disseminated. They will be presented at professional academic conferences (some proposals have already been submitted); disseminated through colloquia or working papers; and submitted in article form for journal publication. The entire dissertation will form the basis of a book manuscript. The proposed activity also has the benefit of building research networks and partnerships between American scholars and those in Bolivia and Benin through the co-PI.s continuing participation as an affiliated scholar of the Universidad de la Cordillera in La Paz, Bolivia, and the Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE) in Cotonou, Benin. Existing networks between American scholars and those in Benin and elsewhere in francophone West Africa, in particular, are weak. Finally, in explaining why some party systems are ethnic, this project seeks to inform policy interventions and institutional reforms that promote peace, good governance, and economic well-being in democratizing countries.
