Mali Elections 2013: Grassroots Perspectives on a Critical Juncture

Bleck and Sidiki Guindo, a Malian who is a PhD Candidate at Cheik Anta Diop University in Dakar, request funding to conduct a public opinion poll in the period leading up to the elections (currently estimated as July 2013).

In this research project, Bleck and Guindo disaggregate democratic institutions and focus on the role of elections to see if socio-economic characteristics dictate citizens’ support for and willingness to engage with electoral institutions. The open-ended questions provide citizens with room to give their own interpretation of the utility of elections so that we can further distinguish between support for democratic institutions in the abstract and the actual institutions citizens confront.

Bleck and Guindo are motivated by two primary research questions: 1) What are the policy priorities for populations coming out of political turmoil? 2) What role do elections play in offering citizens room to voice these concerns? Both questions fall directly within the Kellogg Institute’s emphasis on human development and democracy.