Contentious Elections: From Votes to Violence

Abstract

During the post-Cold War era, concern has risen about the proliferation of contentious elections and the number of polls held in a pervasive climate of fraud, mistrust and intolerance that have ignited massive protests and violence. Far from having beneficial consequences, contentious elections raise red flages by potentially undermining democratic transitions in countries emerging from dictatorship, furthering instability and social tensions in fragile states, increasing uncertainty and risks for investors, and jeopardising growth and development in low-income economies. Show more