Book Projects

In this book project, I study how ethnic representation in the Nigerian civil service emerged from the colonial civil service. I theorize that those ethnic groups that get access to the civil service early maintain their representation and are likely to be highly represented in the bureaucracy at later times. I show that this ethnic representation has consequences for how civil service departments and agencies provide public goods to the public. It is also important for understanding what agencies are assigned with the provision of goods to various ethnic groups and how citizens view the civil service.

The dissertation from which this book is based was recognized as the best dissertation completed in 2021 from the Race and Ethnic Politics Section of the American Political Science Association.