Researchers: Marie Gagné and Amy R. Poteete

Highlights:

• Since 2007, there has been a dramatic surge in large-scale land acquisitions in countries of the Global South. These projects, which often encroach on local populations’ farmland and pastures, can have profoundly disruptive consequences for rural livelihoods.
• In Senegal, aggrieved populations have organized many opposition campaigns to prevent the seizure of their land, which is managed by municipal councils.
• These protests are unparalleled in intensity and frequency in rural Senegal, and denote changing representations about the respective rights and responsibilities of the state and individuals.
• This research project aims to understand the expectations that rural citizens have toward their elected officials and measure whether contested land deals lead to party turnover at the local level.