ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 introduces the book’s argument, reviews the existing scholarly work, and discusses the conceptual and methodological approach to understanding the electoral performance and participation of post-rebel parties. It also presents the outline of the rest of the book. This chapter plays a critical role in understanding several fundamental questions explored in this book: why electoral inclusion of rebel groups became so common, why many rebel groups form a political party when given a chance, what explains successful transition, why some parties manage to keep participating and even succeeding in electoral politics, and whether electoral politics can offer mechanisms for long-lasting peace. The chapter also explores the Post-Rebel Electoral Parties dataset, which is the cornerstone of the qualitative and quantitative chapters of the book. Additionally, the chapter accounts for the book’s contribution to the broad comparative study of electoral politics and post-rebel parties and politics, as well as the normative implications of these parties’ participation for peacebuilding.
