The Credibility Challenge : : How Democracy Aid Influences Election Violence / / Inken Borzyskowski.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Cornell University Press Complete eBook-Package 2019
• VerfasserIn: Borzyskowski, Inken,
• Place / Publishing House: Ithaca, NY : : Cornell University Press, , [2019]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (246 p.) :; 6 b&w line drawings, 4 maps, 11 graphs

The key to the impact of international election support is credibility; credible elections are less likely to turn violent. So argues Inken von Borzyskowski in The Credibility Challenge, in which she provides an explanation of why and when election support can increase or reduce violence. Von Borzyskowski answers four major questions: Under what circumstances can election support influence election violence? How can election support shape the incentives of domestic actors to engage in or abstain from violence? Does support help reduce violence or increase it? And, which type of support-observation or technical assistance-is better in each instance? The Credibility Challenge pulls broad quantitative evidence and qualitative observations from Guyana, Liberia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Bangladesh to respond to these questions. Von Borzyskowski finds that international democracy aid matters for election credibility and violence; outside observers can exacerbate postelection violence if they cast doubt on election credibility; and technical assistance helps build electoral institutions, improves election credibility, and reduces violence. Her results advance research and policy on peacebuilding and democracy promotion in new and surprising ways.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Figures and Tables -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction: The Question of Democracy Aid and Election Violence -- 1. Credible Election Theory -- 2. Shaping the Electoral Environment: International Support and Pre-Election Violence -- 3. The Dark Side: International Condemnation and Post-Election Violence -- 4. The Upside: Technical Assistance and Reduced Post-Election Violence -- Conclusion: Improving Democracy Aid for Credible and Peaceful Elections -- Appendix to Chapter 1 -- Appendix to Chapter 3 -- Notes -- References -- Index