Candidate matters: a study of ethnic parties, campaigns, and elections in Latin America

In: Oxford scholarship online

Abstract

In developing democracies, where vote-buying and charismatic politicians are the norm, niche parties have been the greatest hope for advancing the interests of marginalized communities. In Candidate Matters: A Study of Ethnic Parties, Campaigns, and Elections in Latin America, Karleen Jones West uses in-depth fieldwork on political campaigns and statistical analyses of elections and public opinion to show how individual candidates undermine the policy goals of parties that were initially created to advance niche policy interests, like those of indigenous communities.