Vote-Selling: Infrastructure and Public Services Nat Adojutelegan Walden University
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Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2018 Vote-Selling: Infrastructure and Public Services Nat Adojutelegan Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Law Commons, and the Public Policy Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Nat Adojutelegan has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Richard DeParis, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Bethe Hagens, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Lynn Wilson, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2018 Abstract Vote-Selling: Infrastructure and Public Services by Nathaniel Adojutelegan LLM, University of Wolverhampton, 1997 PGDip, London Guildhall University, UK, 1997 LLB, University of Wolverhampton, 1995 BS, University of Benin, Nigeria, 1987 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Public Administration Walden University February 2018 Abstract Vote-selling in Nigeria pervades and permeates the electoral space, where it has become the primary instrument of electoral fraud. Previous research has indicated a strong correlation between vote-buying and underinvestment and poor delivery of public services. There remains, however, a significant gap in the current literature regarding the nature of the relationship between vote-selling and the delivery of public services. The purpose of this study was to uncover voters’ behaviors by investigating their common and lived experiences with respect to the provision of infrastructure, delivery of public services, and voting during elections. Using Bandura’s theory of reciprocal determinism, the research explored the connection between environment and vote-selling. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 individuals who participated in the most recent elections in Akoko North West Local Government, Ondo State, Nigeria. The data were analyzed using Moustakas’s transcendental phenomenological process. Key findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between vote-selling, and infrastructure and public services. The study findings also revealed that vote-sellers’ feel justified because vote-selling is perceived as a product of disappointment, lack of trust and voters’ apathy, willingness to accept their own share of “national cake,” and poverty. These findings are consistent with Bandura’s proposition that people create the society and equally react to environmental factors. This study contributes to the existing literature and may enhance social change initiatives by improving the understanding of the connection between the provision of infrastructure and the delivery of public services and vote-selling. Vote-Selling: Infrastructure and Public Services by Nat Adojutelegan LLM, University of Wolverhampton, 1997 PGDip, London Guildhall University, UK, 1997 LLB, University of Wolverhampton, 1995 BS, University of Benin, Nigeria, 1987 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Public Administration Walden University February 2018 Dedication This work is dedicated to my father, Josiah Olaiya Durojaiye Adojutelegan (deceased), an exemplary father who imbued in me the values of honesty, probity, hard work and perseverance. Also, it is dedicated to the impoverished Nigerian voters who are victims of bad governance and fraudulent electoral manipulations. Acknowledgments I thank Almighty Lord for affording me good health and the resources that enabled me to commence and complete this Ph.D. program. I am thankful to my professors and all the individuals who contributed immensely to my progress on the program. My special thanks to my committee chairperson, Dr. Richard DeParis for diligently critiquing my work and providing me with helpful indications during the dissertation process. I am equally thankful to Dr. Bethe Hagens for providing insightful feedback and showing great interest in my work, in particular, the use of Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenological process from the day she read my premise until the completion of the dissertation. I also want to thank Dr. Lynn Wilson for providing independent feedback and ensuring that the dissertation met the University’s research standards. Also, I would like to thank Carey Little Brown for her detailed editorial guidance. I thank my family for their understanding throughout the Ph.D. program. I am thankful to my children, Jane and Josiah, and my friend Eniola Ajijola for encouraging me to enroll in the program when I contemplated undertaking this arduous assignment. I am thankful to my friends, Dr. Francis Adebola-Wilson, Cecil Blount, Agatha Edeko, Khumo Matthews and Adeola Oke for their support. Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................2 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................5 Research Question .........................................................................................................6 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................6 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................8 Definition of Terms........................................................................................................9 Assumptions .................................................................................................................10 Limitations ...................................................................................................................11 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................11 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................12 Summary ......................................................................................................................13 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................15 Introduction ..................................................................................................................15 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................17 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................18 Definitional Ambiguity of Vote Buying ......................................................................21 Vote-Buying: Influential Factors .................................................................................23 i Vote-Selling .................................................................................................................32 Consequences of Vote-Selling .....................................................................................34 Election Strategies in Nigeria ......................................................................................36 Election as a Democratic Vehicle ................................................................................39 Corruption and Infrastructure ......................................................................................42 Eliminating Vote-Selling .............................................................................................48 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................................................48 Introduction ..................................................................................................................51 Research Design and Rationale ...................................................................................52 Appropriateness of the Design .............................................................................. 55 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................56 Sampling Frame and Sampling Description ................................................................57 Sampling Strategy ........................................................................................................59