Arthur A. Goldsmith

Arthur A. Goldsmith is associate dean and professor in the College of Management at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. He publishes frequently on international development, international business, and the politics and economics of Africa.

April 2012, Volume 23, Issue 2

Ballots, Bullets, and the Bottom Billion

Does recourse to the ballot box spur violence and instability in the world’s poorest countries? Despite the worries of modernization theorists such as Paul Collier, the evidence indicates that, over time, elections are not associated with higher levels of political violence.