ABSTRACT
This chapter builds on and moves beyond the quantitative analysis in Chapter 3. The chapter begins with a more detailed overview of post-rebel parties in terms of their participation and electoral performance as a group over time. Then, it presents a dynamic theoretical model to explain how participation in electoral politics over time essentially creates these parties as political actors. This chapter is a qualitative examination of the ways that disparate parties engage with electoral politics, focusing on the dynamic, interactive processes that shape their trajectories over the course of their political participation. The chapter argues that over time, party adaptation in response to electoral politics tends to follow one of three strategic patterns: power consolidation, competition, or accommodation. While each of these strategies may lead to a stable political settlement and the maintenance of negative peace, they are likely to have different implications for democratic development.
