Do Institutions Matter to Rebel Parties? Rebel Party Formation and Success in African Post-Conflict Elections

After civil wars in Africa and elsewhere, rebel groups are regularly ‘transformed’ into political parties as incentive to participate peacefully in post-war democratic politics. Although a growing body of literature has been published on selected issues surrounding this topic, several serious gaps remain. 'Rebel-to-party transformation’ research has mostly focused on using case studies and small-n comparisons that shed light on internal transformation processes. Yet, regarding the political parties that emerge after ‘transformation’, knowledge is particularly limited. This is also due to the fact that for post-conflict societies in general, it is frequently argued that conditions are ‘too specific’ to apply established concepts of institutionalism or party research that are of Western origin. In an attempt to tackle this multifaceted gap, the paper aims at analyzing the electoral performance of former rebels after conflict in Africa from a comparative standpoint with the help of western concepts. To improve our understanding, it is considered very helpful to adopt concepts of parties, their genesis and development - while also being aware of limits of transferability. Still, established concepts enhance the theoretical underpinnings of the discussion which are widely lacking so far. As a result, a systematic approach is developed that separates rebel party formation and rebel party success as a first important step which is often overlooked. Additionally, the institutional framework is put to the fore, as to understand more fully the contextual conditions under which party formation and success of former militias happens. By using a QCA (qualitative comparative analysis), first empirical results should be presented to assess the institutions’ relevance in shaping the paths for rebels to participate in party politics in Africa. By systematically integrating Western political party research and ‘transformation literature’, it is hoped to bring forward the theoretical discussion of this prevalent and important issue.