Browsing by Author "Davis, Gavin"

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    Bridges and bonds: list Proportional Representation (PR) and campaigning in South Africa
    (2003) Davis, Gavin
    It is argued in this paper that the list proportional representation (PR) electoral system encourages parties to campaign using racially divisive themes in South Africa. A content analysis of party campaigning in 1994 and 1999 demonstrates the extent to which the various parties espoused messages that sought to mobilise groups on the basis of their race. A comparison of the main parties indicates that those parties that invoke exclusive 'us and them' messages do better than those that attempt an inclusive 'catch-all' strategy. The list PR electoral system is identified as the key explanatory variable for this phenomenon. List PR encourages the growth of a centrifugal party system where parties aim to racially 'outbid' each other for the votes of the groups they purport to represent. In such a system, parties that 'bond' with the social cleavage they represent are rewarded, while those that attempt to 'bridge' historical divisions are punished. It is suggested that over time, parties will 'learn' that the most successful means of mobilising voters is to play on the fears and aspirations associated with their race, with potentially disastrous consequences for racial reconciliation and democratic consolidation in South Africa.
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    Encouraging exclusivity: The electoral system and campaigning in the 1999 South African Election
    (2003) Davis, Gavin; Seekings, Jeremy
    This dissertation provides an analysis of the 1999 election campaign and considers how each of the main parties appealed to the politically salient groups in South Africa. The case is put forward that the electoral system--closed-list proportional representation-rewards parties that appeal to a particular race group (or groups) at the expense of others. Parties that adopt a conciliatory tone and attempt a 'catch-all' strategy are punished at the polls. The persistence of this phenomenon means that politics in South Africa is likely to remain racialised, as political entrepreneurs maximise votes by making narrow sectional appeals.
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    Media coverage and the election: were some parties more equal than others?
    (2004) Davis, Gavin
    Debates over the role of the media in a democratic South Africa remain as fierce as ever. The African National Congress (ANC) and its adherents routinely criticise the independent press for insufficiently transforming itself and, as a result, producing press coverage that tends to be anti-government. Opposition parties question the independence of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), claiming that the public broadcaster is fast becoming an instrument of ANC propaganda. This paper asserts that these arguments have been overstated by political actors and some commentators. Data collected during the 2004 election campaign suggests that the ANC get the lion’s share of news coverage, followed by the Democratic Alliance across all broadcast and print media. It is thus more appropriate to ascribe the media dominance of these two parties to their ability to generate publicity through superior resources, funding and organisation than media bias.
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    Proportional representation and racial campaigning in South Africa
    (Taylor & Francis, 2004) Davis, Gavin
    This analysis of election campaigning in South Africa demonstrates that those parties that invoke an exclusive “us and them” message fare better than those that attempt an inclusive “catch-all” strategy. This conclusion has important implications for the debate over the best electoral system for a divided society. It is suggested here that list proportional representation encourages the growth of a centrifugal party system where the most successful parties are those that “outbid” their competitors for the votes of the groups they principally represent. It is quite possible that, over time, South African political parties will “learn” that the most successful means of mobilizing voters is to play on the fears and aspirations associated with their race, thus exacerbating racial tensions.