Abstract
Does the ethnic identity of a country’s leader have an effect on citizens’ national identity? This question is particularly relevant in ethnically diverse states in Africa where national identity is commonly regarded as underdeveloped and ethnic divisions are socially salient. I argue that citizens’ national attachment is affected by the ethnic origin of their countries’ presidents. Using cross-country data from the Afrobarometer on levels of national attachment over time, combined with data on leaders’ ethnicities, I show that following a presidential transition national identification among the new presidents’ coethnics increases relative to that of non-coethnics.
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