Protest Brokers beyond South Africa

Chapter 8 extends the analysis beyond South Africa to explore the activities of protest brokers in other contexts. While previous chapters focused exclusively on South Africa to develop and test the theory in depth, this chapter argues that protest brokers are not unique to that setting. Drawing on original data from Ghana and Malawi, as well as secondary evidence from Argentina, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda, it demonstrates that intermediaries who organize protest on behalf of elites can be found globally. The chapter presents three main findings. First, individuals who function as protest brokers – connecting elites to communities – exist in a variety of countries. Second, these brokers differ in their relationships with elites and communities in ways consistent with the typology developed earlier in the book. Third, variation in broker characteristics correlates with predictable differences in protest across these different contexts. While not offering a comprehensive cross-national study, this chapter provides initial comparative evidence that protest brokers are a widespread phenomenon, suggesting that the theoretical framework developed here has broad relevance for understanding global patterns of protest mobilization.