The impact of corruption and clientelism on voter turnout in Africa

Abstract

This article explores the effect of corruption and clientelism on voter turnout in a sample of 34 African countries. It draws on Afrobarometer survey data from Round 5 and utilises a multilevel model to estimate individual and country-level effects. The article contributes to the literature on voter turnout, particularly by exploring the conditional effects of corruption and clientelism on individual voting decisions in Africa. We find that turnout is higher among those with more experience with electoral clientelism (which is especially strong in poorer countries) and that people with dimmer assessments of corruption are less likely to turn out, with the relationship being stronger as overall levels of corruption increase.