Svanikier, Johanna Odonkor. "Political Elite Circulation: Implications for Leadership Diversity and Democratic Regime Stability in Ghana". In Elites: New Comparative Perspectives, edited by Masamichi Sasaki.  Leiden: Brill, 2008.

Svanikier applies Burton and Higley (2006) elite theory as an explanatory factor for political stability in Ghana. Burton and Higley argue that consensually united elites help democratic stability. Against pessimistic theories about neopatrimonialism, Svanikier demonstrates that such an elite-level consensus in favor of democracy exists in Ghana. Svanikier’s notion of elites expands beyond political elites to include traditional rulers, coastal merchant families and educated commoners. An interesting argument is that the diversity of Ghanaian elites - in a manner reflecting the diversity of Ghanaian society - accounts for the elite consensus around democracy compared to other countries where elites are more homogenous.