We found that resource rents gradually erode checks and balances. This leaves electoral competition unconstrained by the niceties of due process. Political parties are freed up to compete for votes by means of patronage if they so choose, and in the context of ethnic loyalties and the absence of a free press, this is the most cost-effective means of attracting votes. Any quixotic parties that choose the public service route of appealing to voters simply lose the election.
