Melani Cammett is the Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs in the Department of Government at Harvard University. She holds a secondary faculty appointment in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Cammett specializes in the politics of development, identity politics and the Middle East
A large literature finds that coethnicity primarily shapes voter behavior through material exchan... more A large literature finds that coethnicity primarily shapes voter behavior through material exchanges, particularly clientelism. Yet identity groups provide distinct psychological and social benefits that also compel people to vote based on coethnicity. Does coethnicity matter for vote choice, net of instrumental considerations? We address this question using a conjoint experiment in Lebanon, which asked a nationally representative sample of citizens to choose between potential candidates in national elections. We find that coethnicity is the single strongest predictor of electoral support, more important than party affiliation, provision of clientelism, or programmatic platform. Coethnicity does not significantly alter perceptions of candidates who provide clientelism, including high-value goods like patronage employment. Furthermore, citizens who feel closer to their ethnic group are more likely to vote on the basis of coethnicity, as are those with lower levels of trust in state institutions. Collectively, these findings suggest that coethnic voting in diverse polities is not driven solely by clientelism, but also by less immediately material concerns about security and belonging.
Given that it is easy to read, makes complex economic and philosophi cal ideas easy to understan... more Given that it is easy to read, makes complex economic and philosophi cal ideas easy to understand, and does such a nice job o f integrating the political and economic issues surrounding international trade and the WTO, Jones's book is a welcome addition to the burgeoning literature on the politics o f globalization. It should prove particularly useful for political science courses that tackle the subject, because o f the way it handles the economics but keeps the reader focused on political matters.
The Arab uprisings marked a new, large-scale phase of contentious politics in the Middle East and... more The Arab uprisings marked a new, large-scale phase of contentious politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Entrenched authoritarian rulers were ousted from power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and citizens across the region discovered the power of mass mobilization and became increasingly vocal in demanding their rights. The period of flux that ensued appeared to be a “critical juncture” (Collier and Collier 1991, Capoccia and Keleman 2007, Mahoney 2000) in which the potential for regime change was heightened. Watching the uprisings and subsequent struggles over institution-building unfold in real time raises questions about the conditions under which democratic reform can emerge in the region.
In the wake of the Arab uprisings, analysts have advanced a range of hypotheses about the grievan... more In the wake of the Arab uprisings, analysts have advanced a range of hypotheses about the grievances that formed the backdrop to mass mobilization. To date, little empirical research examines the validity of the large array of proposed sources of disaffection, particularly at the micro-level. We use public opinion data from 2009-2010 from Arab countries that experienced mass mobilization to assess attitudes towards general satisfaction, sectors such as health, education, and labor markets, and perceptions of fairness in the economy and social life, and disaggregate the results by socioeconomic class and age cohort in order to probe accounts of middle-class grievances, lower-class deprivation, and intergenerational disjunctures. We find mixed support for the hypotheses derived from the scholarship on the lead-up to the uprisings. We find a consistent income gradient in satisfaction, particularly general satisfaction and satisfaction with the labor market. We find similar gradients in perceptions of health services and of dignity in virtually all countries. Perceptions of corruption show a gradient in some countries and a reverse gradient in others. Intergenerational differences in class satisfaction show no consistent patterns across countries and sectors, but youth disaffection within a given class is more common than its converse. The cross-national variation in patterns of discontent across classes and generations suggests that diffusion processes rather than a common set of grievances may have been at the root of the Arab uprisings.
How does the private provision of social welfare functions affect citizen attitudes towards the s... more How does the private provision of social welfare functions affect citizen attitudes towards the state? In this paper we use a multilevel model and simulations to test whether private social services undermine citizen confidence in state institutions by hollowing out the moral legitimacy ...
ABSTRACT Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips stock price has been predicted using the difference betwe... more ABSTRACT Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips stock price has been predicted using the difference between core and headline CPI in the United States. Linear trends in the CPI difference allow accurate prediction of the prices at a five to ten-year horizon.
In many developing countries, governments have invested substantial resources in the provision of... more In many developing countries, governments have invested substantial resources in the provision of basic services such as healthcare and education. These investments frequently yield minimal improvements in student learning and health outcomes, however. Promoting adequate provider effort necessitates accountability, including effective within-facility accountability is the focus of this report. Within the accountability framework, the role of supervisors in the facilities where service provision occurs has thus far been underemphasized. This report contributes to addressing this underemphasis, specifically focusing on the linkages between within-facility accountability and provider effort in the health and education sectors in Jordan. In the case of healthcare, a study was developed to generate novel insights from an original survey instrument. Notably, this is the first nationally representative study in Jordan to measure within-facility accountability and provider effort in primary health care facilities, and the first study in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to investigate these linkages. The study relies on a nationally representative sample of 122 primary healthcare facilities where data are collected through patient exit interviews, and surveys administered to chief medical officers (CMO), doctors, and nurses who work at the centers, and where available, a representative of the community health committee. In the case of education, an empirical analysis was conducted, relying on existing data collected through principal, teacher, and student surveys, third-party classroom observations and school inventories, and math and reading student assessments from a nationally representative sample of 156 schools. The latter was complemented by a comparative case study of six Jordanian schools using statistical matching and a process-tracing procedure.
A large literature finds that coethnicity primarily shapes voter behavior through material exchan... more A large literature finds that coethnicity primarily shapes voter behavior through material exchanges, particularly clientelism. Yet identity groups provide distinct psychological and social benefits that also compel people to vote based on coethnicity. Does coethnicity matter for vote choice, net of instrumental considerations? We address this question using a conjoint experiment in Lebanon, which asked a nationally representative sample of citizens to choose between potential candidates in national elections. We find that coethnicity is the single strongest predictor of electoral support, more important than party affiliation, provision of clientelism, or programmatic platform. Coethnicity does not significantly alter perceptions of candidates who provide clientelism, including high-value goods like patronage employment. Furthermore, citizens who feel closer to their ethnic group are more likely to vote on the basis of coethnicity, as are those with lower levels of trust in state institutions. Collectively, these findings suggest that coethnic voting in diverse polities is not driven solely by clientelism, but also by less immediately material concerns about security and belonging.
Given that it is easy to read, makes complex economic and philosophi cal ideas easy to understan... more Given that it is easy to read, makes complex economic and philosophi cal ideas easy to understand, and does such a nice job o f integrating the political and economic issues surrounding international trade and the WTO, Jones's book is a welcome addition to the burgeoning literature on the politics o f globalization. It should prove particularly useful for political science courses that tackle the subject, because o f the way it handles the economics but keeps the reader focused on political matters.
The Arab uprisings marked a new, large-scale phase of contentious politics in the Middle East and... more The Arab uprisings marked a new, large-scale phase of contentious politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Entrenched authoritarian rulers were ousted from power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and citizens across the region discovered the power of mass mobilization and became increasingly vocal in demanding their rights. The period of flux that ensued appeared to be a “critical juncture” (Collier and Collier 1991, Capoccia and Keleman 2007, Mahoney 2000) in which the potential for regime change was heightened. Watching the uprisings and subsequent struggles over institution-building unfold in real time raises questions about the conditions under which democratic reform can emerge in the region.
In the wake of the Arab uprisings, analysts have advanced a range of hypotheses about the grievan... more In the wake of the Arab uprisings, analysts have advanced a range of hypotheses about the grievances that formed the backdrop to mass mobilization. To date, little empirical research examines the validity of the large array of proposed sources of disaffection, particularly at the micro-level. We use public opinion data from 2009-2010 from Arab countries that experienced mass mobilization to assess attitudes towards general satisfaction, sectors such as health, education, and labor markets, and perceptions of fairness in the economy and social life, and disaggregate the results by socioeconomic class and age cohort in order to probe accounts of middle-class grievances, lower-class deprivation, and intergenerational disjunctures. We find mixed support for the hypotheses derived from the scholarship on the lead-up to the uprisings. We find a consistent income gradient in satisfaction, particularly general satisfaction and satisfaction with the labor market. We find similar gradients in perceptions of health services and of dignity in virtually all countries. Perceptions of corruption show a gradient in some countries and a reverse gradient in others. Intergenerational differences in class satisfaction show no consistent patterns across countries and sectors, but youth disaffection within a given class is more common than its converse. The cross-national variation in patterns of discontent across classes and generations suggests that diffusion processes rather than a common set of grievances may have been at the root of the Arab uprisings.
How does the private provision of social welfare functions affect citizen attitudes towards the s... more How does the private provision of social welfare functions affect citizen attitudes towards the state? In this paper we use a multilevel model and simulations to test whether private social services undermine citizen confidence in state institutions by hollowing out the moral legitimacy ...
ABSTRACT Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips stock price has been predicted using the difference betwe... more ABSTRACT Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips stock price has been predicted using the difference between core and headline CPI in the United States. Linear trends in the CPI difference allow accurate prediction of the prices at a five to ten-year horizon.
In many developing countries, governments have invested substantial resources in the provision of... more In many developing countries, governments have invested substantial resources in the provision of basic services such as healthcare and education. These investments frequently yield minimal improvements in student learning and health outcomes, however. Promoting adequate provider effort necessitates accountability, including effective within-facility accountability is the focus of this report. Within the accountability framework, the role of supervisors in the facilities where service provision occurs has thus far been underemphasized. This report contributes to addressing this underemphasis, specifically focusing on the linkages between within-facility accountability and provider effort in the health and education sectors in Jordan. In the case of healthcare, a study was developed to generate novel insights from an original survey instrument. Notably, this is the first nationally representative study in Jordan to measure within-facility accountability and provider effort in primary health care facilities, and the first study in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to investigate these linkages. The study relies on a nationally representative sample of 122 primary healthcare facilities where data are collected through patient exit interviews, and surveys administered to chief medical officers (CMO), doctors, and nurses who work at the centers, and where available, a representative of the community health committee. In the case of education, an empirical analysis was conducted, relying on existing data collected through principal, teacher, and student surveys, third-party classroom observations and school inventories, and math and reading student assessments from a nationally representative sample of 156 schools. The latter was complemented by a comparative case study of six Jordanian schools using statistical matching and a process-tracing procedure.
How do international organizations (IOs) affect access to social services for refugees and host c... more How do international organizations (IOs) affect access to social services for refugees and host country nationals during humanitarian crises? We explore the quality of care received by Syrian refugees and Lebanese nationals in Lebanese health facilities using data from original surveys in a nationally representative sample of health centers. Given its importance as a site of interactions with host country nationals, health is a key arena for studying local behavior toward refugees. Much research on refugees and intergroup relations suggests that Syrians would receive inferior services, yet other approaches would predict equitable treatment, whether due to intrinsic or extrinsic motivations. We find no difference in the quality of care for Syrians and Lebanese and argue that the comparatively equitable treatment of refugees stems from incentives from IOs at both the organizational and individual levels—a phenomenon we call the “IO effect.” The study advances research on IOs and human...
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