Dr. Martin Acheampong

In majoritarian systems with many safe seats, competition shifts inside parties. Evidence from Ghana shows party elites reward not only patronage, but also parliamentary work and constituency service. Yet their priorities shift by seat competitiveness and whether the party is in government or opposition.

Why do MPs from safe and competitive constituencies behave differently? Using evidence from the New Patriotic Party’s 2020 primaries in Ghana, the article shows that parties apply stricter candidate selection in safe seats and more open procedures in competitive ones – shaping MPs’ focus on parliament or constituency work.

Digitale Technologie verspricht, die Mängel des Wahlsystems in Subsahara-Afrika zu beheben. Doch Systemausfälle, fragwürdige Beschaffungsdeals und Klagen zeigen, dass der Technologieeinsatz alte Probleme eher verstärkt, als dass Vertrauen geschaffen wird. Diese lösbaren Probleme werden im Detail untersucht.

Why do Members of Parliament (MPs) in Africa’s emerging democracies focus so heavily on constituency work at the expense of parliament? This paper argues that traditional authority and patron-clientelism shape how legislators represent their constituencies.

Organisation: Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB) Prof. Dr. Mariana Llanos (Vortragende:r), Prof. Dr. Thomas Richter (Vortragende:r), Dr. David Kuehn (Vortragende:r), Dr. Martin Acheampong (Vortragende:r), Emilia Arellano (Vortragende:r)

Mariana Llanos and Thomas Richter presented results from the DFG-funded project "COVID-19 and Executive Personalization in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the MENA Region" at the 1st Annual Interdisciplinary WZB Conference.

APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2025, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver Organisation: American Political Science Association Prof. Dr. Thomas Richter (Vortragende:r), Prof. Dr. Mariana Llanos (Vortragende:r), Dr. David Kuehn (Vortragende:r), Dr. Martin Acheampong (Vortragende:r), Emilia Arellano (Vortragende:r)

Thomas Richter presented results from the DFG-funded project "COVID-19 and Executive Personalization in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the MENA Region" at the APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Vancouver.