Why Governments and Parties Manipulate Elections

Alberto Simpser is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He has held research fellowships at Princeton University's Center for Globalization and Governance and at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. His research has been published in the Journal of Politics and Public Opinion Quarterly.

• Preface: more than winning; 1. Introduction and overview; 2. Electoral manipulation: what it is and how to measure it; 3. The puzzle of excessive and blatant manipulation; 4. More than winning: the consequences of excessive and blatant electoral manipulation; 5. The strategic logic of electoral manipulation; 6. The theory at work: evidence from case studies; 7. Indirect effects of electoral manipulation: quantitative evidence; 8. Conclusion.

'In compelling fashion, Alberto Simpser's Why Governments and Parties Manipulate Elections successfully upends the conventional wisdom that election fraud is only about winning elections. With an elegant theory and original data, Simpser shows us that the information provided by manipulated elections may be just as influential as stolen votes, and they can significantly change political participation and perceptions of power. This comprehensive explanation of the causes and consequences of election manipulation throughout the world represents a major contribution to the field.' Susan D. Hyde, Yale University