Date
10-14-2026
Department
Helms School of Government
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy (PhD)
Chair
Erik Root
Keywords
federalism, political culture, political bargaining, Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia
Disciplines
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
Recommended Citation
Mohammed, Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud, "Politicians’ Attitudes and the Federal Bargain: A Quantitative Examination of Sudan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 9026.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/9026
Abstract
This study examines how commitments to federal political culture influence the stability and viability of federal systems in Sudan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, focusing on the politicians’ attitudes toward federal principles. Although federalism is often promoted as a remedy for ethnic conflict and instability, outcomes in Africa remain inconsistent, showing that institutional design alone cannot explain the fragility of federations. Guided by William Riker’s bargaining theory and Daniel Elazar’s framework of political culture, this dissertation investigates how politicians’ orientations, shaped by regional ties, political leanings, perceptions of federalism’s effectiveness, and advocacy for autonomy, affect their commitment to federalism. A quantitative correlational survey design was employed, using structured questionnaires administered to 180 politicians (60 per country) with sampling strategies reflecting regional representation. Data collection emphasized attitudes toward cooperation, compromise, and non-centralization, while demographic variables such as age, gender and political experience were included as predictors. Multiple regression analysis tested the associations between the independent variables and the dependent variable, commitment to federal political culture, both across the pooled sample and within each country. The findings address a gap in comparative federalism studies by empirically linking cultural orientations to bargaining outcomes, offering insights into why federal bargains collapse in some societies. This research contributes to scholarship by highlighting the interplay of political culture and institutional design in diverse contexts and provides a replicable model for analyzing federal attitudes elsewhere, underscoring the central role of political elites in sustaining federal bargains.
