ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the central theoretical argument of this book. It starts by reviewing a theoretical division between the studies of electoral targeting and those of coalition building. It explains why relaxing the presumptions underlying this division is important for exploring distributive politics as agency between central leaders (principle) and local elites (mobilization agents). After mapping arguments, the chapter elaborates a model of efficiency-based career incentives with credible cost compensation. It then presents the key hypotheses about the distributive patterns of budgetary resources (cost compensation) and ministerial portfolios (career incentives), which will be examined in chapters 5 and 6.
