Death Diversion and Departure: Voter Exit and the Persistence of Authoritarianism in Zimbabwe

Chipo Dendere

Assistant Professor of Africana Studies

Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Chipo Dendere, PhD.



Chipo Dendere is a Zimbabwean-born scholar specializing in political science, focusing on the factors that influence party survival and democratization in the developing world. She completed her Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science and Psychology at Linfield College in Oregon. In 2015 she earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at Georgia State University under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Young.

Her book, Death, Diversion, and Departure: Voter Exit and the Persistence of Autocracy in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press), shows how the exit of young, urban, and working professional voters because of mass death due to the AIDS pandemic and mass migration in the wake of economic decline has increased the resilience of a regime that may have otherwise lost power. With authoritarianism on the rise globally and many citizens considering leaving home, Death, Diversion, and Departure provides timely insights into the impact of voter exit. Dr. Dendere's multimethod approach includes three hundred ethnographic interviews conducted in four countries, along with quantitative analysis of various datasets.

Despite strong opposition and a citizenry eager for change, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has remained in power since 1980. A wealth of literature exists on election manipulation, violence, and political abuse by ZANU-PF, attempting to explain its survival. Her research contributes to this body of work by showing that this enduring power has been partly enabled by the forced migration of millions of Zimbabweans in response to the country's prolonged economic and political decline since 2000. While most migration studies focus on the impact of brain drain on sending countries, her research offers a novel perspective, arguing that migration, or voter exit, can also undermine democracy.

Dr. Dendere is particularly proud of her research linking AIDS to regime survival, as there has been little scholarship connecting public health crises to the endurance of autocratic regimes. The declining political and economic conditions in Zimbabwe exacerbated the AIDS pandemic, leading to thousands of deaths and further contributing to voter exit through both migration and increased mortality. The loss of voters—many of whom were urban professionals or working-class individuals likely to support pro-democracy initiatives—hampered the opposition’s ability to challenge ZANU-PF’s grip on power. Consequently, the ruling party has benefited from what she terms as a "voter exit premium." The deaths of millions of potential voters from urban centers significantly weakened the opposition, while the government implemented policies that worsened the AIDS crisis. The pandemic also fractured families and left over a million children in orphanages. Her interviews with adults raised in these orphanages suggest long-lasting adverse effects on political engagement. Additionally, the AIDS pandemic disproportionately impacted artists, especially musicians, whose political voices were silenced.

Chipo Dendere has also written about the role of money in politics, the impact of social media in authoritarian states, and the influence of natural resources—such as chocolate (yes, cacao)—on politics. Currently, she is working on her second book, The Politics of African First Ladies.

Chipo Dendere is actively involved in various service activities, including serving on the African Politics Conference Group committee and the NEWSA Program committee. Additionally, she often contributes to blogs for the Washington Post's Monkey Cage and Mischiefs of Faction, and share spolitical analysis on outlets such as BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNN.