NOVAFRICA in the News: “Banho'” and Elections in São Tomé and Príncipe: Evidence from Pedro C. Vicente’s Research

Elections recently took place in São Tomé and Príncipe. An article by Público revisits the country’s electoral tradition of “banho” the local term used to describe the distribution of money or goods in exchange for political support, highlighting research by Nova SBE Professor Pedro C. Vicente, Scientific Director of NOVAFRICA.

Professor Pedro Vicente’s research examined the relationship between vote-buying and electoral participation in São Tomé and Príncipe. In a randomized field experiment conducted during the country’s 2006 presidential elections, a voter education campaign was designed to counteract vote-buying, known locally as “banho”. The study found that the campaign reduced the influence of money offered to voters and also led to lower voter turnout, providing evidence that vote-buying can increase electoral participation.

The findings were published in The Economic Journal in the article “Is Vote-buying Effective? Evidence from a Field Experiment in West Africa” by Pedro C. Vicente. The research provides experimental evidence on how vote-buying can affect electoral behaviour and participation in a West African context.

The research formed part of a broader NOVAFRICA project on voter education in Nigeria, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe, led by Pedro Vicente. In São Tomé and Príncipe, the project was conducted in collaboration with the country’s National Electoral Commission and focused specifically on counteracting vote-buying.

Read the full article in Público here.

Learn more about the NOVAFRICA project here.

Read Pedro C. Vicente’s article in The Economic Journal here.