Kenneth F. Greene is Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of the award-winning book, Why Dominant Parties Lose (2007). His research on political regimes, voting behavior, and political parties has also received several awards from the American Political Science Association.

'Why does vote buying so often fail? Greene shows that the forces of democratic competition erode the effectiveness of vote buying, empowering voters to choose freely. Theoretically original, empirically rigorous, and refreshingly optimistic, this book will reshape how we think about clientelism and the promises of democracy.' Alisha C. Holland, Gates Professor of Developing Societies, Department of Government, Harvard University

• Acknowledgments; Part I. Introduction: 1. The Challenge of Vote Buying in Competitive Democracies; Part II. The Macro Perspective: Variation in the Effectiveness of Vote Buying: 2. The Vulnerability of Contemporary Electoral Clientelism; 3. Local Electoral Competitiveness and the Efficacy of Vote Buying in Mexico; Part III. The Micro Perspective: How Electoral Gifts Influence Voter Behavior: 4. Love Isn't for Sale: Partisan Responses to Vote-Buying Offers; 5. Moving Targets: Selecting Clients in the Shadow of Partisan Campaigns; 6. Catch Me if You Can: Why Voters Comply or Defect under the Secret Ballot; Part IV. Comparative Perspectives and Implications: 7. Why Major Machines Fail: Vote Buying in Argentina, Colombia, and Turkey; 8. Conclusion: Elections and Accountability in New Democracies; References; Appendix; Index.