The Tribes that Bind: Attitudes to the Tribe and Tribal Leader in the Sudan

Using a unique dataset we are able to examine the determinants of attitudes to the tribal leader in Sudan. We find almost half perceive their decisions to be unfair and a substantial proportion believe men to be favoured over women. Such perceptions are linked to education levels, both individual and locational. Trust in the tribal leaders is linked to perceptions of fairness, but is not a perfect match. There is evidence too such attitudes are linked to the local provision of services, although there is a different impact of services which merely benefit the individual and those which also potentially facilitate economic change.