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L.Smith Dissertation (3-9-18).pdf (1.67 MB)

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CONSTRUCTING THE STATE: ELITE SETTLEMENTS IN AUTHORITARIAN ZIMBABWE

Smith, Levar Lamar
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5461-7936
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1522086739473739

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Political Science.
Adding to the existing literature examining the challenges of democratization in African states, this work addresses how elite settlements have resulted in the gradual development of the authoritarian state in Zimbabwe. Drawing from similar arguments by Bratton and van de Walle (1997) and Bratton (2014) that contend that settler oligarchies such as Zimbabwe simply inherited and continued the raw power politics of the violent colonial state, I explore the contingency of elite settlements and their impact on stalling democratic movements. Following the argument by Higley and Burton (1989) that elite settlements offer the possibility of democratic outcomes, given that they contribute to political stability through boundary setting and horizontal accountability, in this dissertation I contend that elite settlements only accelerated the rise of ZANU-PF as the dominant political party. Instead of facilitating political openings conducive to democracy, the inability of elite settlements to guarantee an equal distribution of power among competing groups reinforced authoritarian rule and political violence. As an exploratory dissertation aimed at explaining the authoritarian state in Zimbabwe rather than focusing on theory-testing or building a set of hypotheses, my research focuses on elite settlements as a possible framework for future comparative studies that examine the main features of political transition in Africa.
Abdoulaye Saine (Committee Chair)
Richard Quantz (Committee Member)
Venelin Ganev (Committee Member)
Walt Vanderbush (Committee Member)
176 p.
African Studies; Comparative; Political Science
Authoritarianism, Democracy, Elite Settlements, State Formation, Zimbabwe, Political Transitions, Africa

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Smith, L. L. (2018). CONSTRUCTING THE STATE: ELITE SETTLEMENTS IN AUTHORITARIAN ZIMBABWE [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1522086739473739

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Smith, Levar. CONSTRUCTING THE STATE: ELITE SETTLEMENTS IN AUTHORITARIAN ZIMBABWE . 2018. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1522086739473739.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Smith, Levar. "CONSTRUCTING THE STATE: ELITE SETTLEMENTS IN AUTHORITARIAN ZIMBABWE ." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1522086739473739

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1522086739473739
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This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.