Triggers and Characteristics of the 2007 Kenyan Electoral Violence

Stefan Dercon and Roxana Gutiérrez-Romero

No 2010-12, CSAE Working Paper Series from Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford

Abstract: Following the 2007 disputed Kenyan Presidential election unprecedented levels of violence erupted across the country adding to the history of troubled elections in Africa. This paper offers quantitative and qualitative evidence on the incidence, impacts and issues that triggered electoral violence. Using two surveys conducted before and after the election we find that one out of three Kenyans were affected by the violence regardless of their ethnicity and wealth. The chances of being a victim of violence were higher in areas with land conflicts and where politically-connected gangs operated. Violence, which was mainly triggered by the perception that the election had been rigged, reduced trust and social capital among communities making violence more likely to reoccur.

Keywords: Voting; Electoral Violence; Rule of Law; Institutions; Africa; Kenya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-cdm and nep-pol
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Triggers and Characteristics of the 2007 Kenyan Electoral Violence (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:csa:wpaper:2010-12

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