McDonnell, Erin Metz. “Conciliatory States: Elite Ethno-Demographics and the Puzzle of Public Goods Within Diverse African States.” Comparative Political Studies 49, no. 11 (2016): 1513–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414015626441.

This article analyzes the puzzle of Ghana, the 12th most diverse state globally, yet among the most peaceful, democratic, and developed African states. It argues the position of post-independence political elites within ethno-demographic structures helps explain why some diverse African states pursued broad nation-building public goods, mitigating the political salience of diversity. Diversity encouraged provision of social goods with broad-based support in states with a modest plurality—not large enough to dominate, but without proximately sized ethnic groups—especially for leaders from a minority. Comparative historical analysis of Ghana is expanded with abbreviated case studies on Guinea, Togo, and Kenya.

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