Motivating the Machine: Which Brokers Do Parties Pay?

Parties rely on brokers to win elections in much of the developing world. How do parties use compensation motivate these grassroots agents? often decentralize broker payment decisions local party elites. In addition helping their elections, elites seek personal career advancement. Because typically brokers’ support advance, they have an incentive payments strengthen ties brokers. Using a multiwave survey, we track full range over 1,000 from Ghana’s ruling party—the most capable distributing patronage benefits—across electoral cycle. We show that operates hybrid system missed by previous studies. The rewards who deliver votes immediately after elections. But long campaigns, when are made, prioritize with upward connections