Rules and Allies
Foreign Election Interventions

Examining more than three hundred elections in over a hundred countries, this book shows when and how states intervene in elections in other countries.

Johannes Bubeck (Author), Nikolay Marinov (Author)

9781108718219, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 30 September 2021

292 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.437 kg

'Foreign election meddling is a timely topic, yet it remains poorly understood. Johannes Bubeck and Nikolay Marinov break new ground with Rules and Allies. They draw on a sophisticated mix of game theory, statistical analysis, and case studies to show how and why great powers intervene in other countries' elections throughout the world.' Sarah Bush, Yale University, Connecticut

When and how do states intervene in elections in other countries? Foreign interveners may aim to further the process of clean elections, or they may support the campaign of a candidate they like. It could also be in their best interest to do both at the same time. Bubeck and Marinov systematically analyze various scenarios using a dataset covering more than three hundred elections in over a hundred countries. They show both theoretically and empirically that states with a liberal mission, such as the United States, combine promoting democracy with helping their political allies win office. Political divisions invite foreign interventions, and foreign interference, in turn, makes targeted societies more polarized along political lines. Whilst the authors argue that foreign interventions do not always harm democracy and may even help the cause of free elections, they also show how elections can turn into proxy wars, in which powerful states compete against each other, through their local allies.

1. Introduction
2. Anarchy and polyarchy
3. The who and the how
4. Actors, policies, strategies
5. How election interventions work
6. Captain America
7. When money runs low and regime overthrow
8. Buying allies
9. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: International organisations & institutions [LBBU], Political economy [KCP], International relations [JPS], Comparative politics [JPB], Sociology [JHB]