Why ethnic parties succeed : patronage and ethnic head counts in India

Why do some ethnic parties succeed in attracting the support of their target ethnic groups while others fail? In a world in which ethnic parties flourish in established and emerging democracies alike, understanding the conditions under which such parties succeed or fail is of critical importance to both political scientists and policy makers. Drawing on a study of variation in the performance of ethnic parties in India, this book builds a theory of ethnic party performance in "patronage democracies." Chandra shows why voters in such democracies choose between parties conducting ethnic head counts rather than by comparing policy platforms or ideological positions. Building on these individual microfoundations, she argues than an ethnic party is likely to succeed when it has competitive rules for intraparty advancement and when the size of the group it seeks to mobilize exceeds the threshold of winning or leverage imposed by the electoral system.