The more the merrier? Tribal diversity and electoral competition in Jordan

Abstract: 

This paper examines the impact of tribal diversity on electoral competition in Jordan. During elections, tribes act like political parties, nominating candidates to represent the party, encouraging all family members to support the tribal candidate, and sometimes going even as far as to hold a tribal primary. Does the proliferation of tribes mean that there is greater electoral competition within diverse municipalities? I examine the impact of diversity on electoral outcomes like voter turnout, number of candidates per council seat, and winning margins. I also investigate whether diverse municipalities elect better qualified officials. Data for this paper is from the 2007 municipal elections in Jordan.

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Roy Huijsmans