Decentralization And Constitutionalism In Africa

Author : Charles M. Fombad,Nico Steytler
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 673 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2019-09-10
Category : Law
ISBN : 9780192585035

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Decentralization and Constitutionalism in Africa by Charles M. Fombad,Nico Steytler Pdf

This collection of essays assesses the efforts of African governments to constitutionalise decentralisation, be it in the form of federalism, local government or traditional authorities. Since the end of the Cold War jurisdictions across Africa have witnessed an ostensible return to multi-party democracy within the paradigm of constitutionalism and the rule of law. Linked to the democratisation process, many countries took steps to decentralize power by departing from the heavily centralized systems inherited from colonial regimes. The centralization of power, typically characterized by the personalization and concentration of power in the hands of leaders and privileged elites in capital cities, mostly resulted in repressive regimes and fragile states. As decentralisation is a response to these challenges, this volume analyses the dynamic relationship between the efforts to implement decentralization and presence or absence of constitutionalism. This volume examines a variety of forms and degrees of decentralization found across Africa. It advances a new understanding of trends and patterns and facilitates the exchange of ideas among African governments and scholars about the critical role that decentralisation may play in democratization of and constitutionalism in Africa.

Author : Dele Olowu,James Stevenson Wunsch
Publisher : Lynne Rienner Publishers
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1588261735

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Local Governance in Africa by Dele Olowu,James Stevenson Wunsch Pdf

An exploration of why some decentralization reforms have led to viable systems of local governance in Africa, while others have failed. It outlines the key issues involved, provides historical context, and identifies the factors that have encouraged or discouraged success.

Author : Jan Erk
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2018-12-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351718813

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Federalism and Decentralization in Sub-Saharan Africa by Jan Erk Pdf

The 1990s were marked by democratic reforms throughout Africa, which went in tandem with decentralization reforms. The chapters of the volume all highlight the gradual changes that have taken place since. Long-term structural uncodified factors – be it societal, economic, geographic, demographic – seem to have interacted with the constitutional clauses introduced during the reforms. Some chapters look at how decentralization slowly gave way to recentralization because none of the new subnational entities were politically and economically strong enough to balance off the center; some look at how inherent deficiencies in infrastructure and personnel at the subnational level brought the central government back in; some look at how different subnational units ended up working differently due to differences in demographic and social factors; some look at how uncodified factors came to determine how national politics functioned; some look at how decentralization created new conflicts between ethnic groups competing for the control of the new entities; some look at how decentralization blew new life into traditional authorities. This book was original published as a special issue of Regional and Federal Studies.

Author : A. Carl LeVan,Joseph Olayinka Fashagba,Edward R. McMahon
Publisher : Springer
Page : 253 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2016-02-05
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781137523341

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African State Governance by A. Carl LeVan,Joseph Olayinka Fashagba,Edward R. McMahon Pdf

Africa is changing and it is easy to overlook how decentralization, democratization, and new forms of illiberalism have transformed federalism, political parties, and local politics. Chapters on Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa help fill an important gap in comparative institutional research about state and local politics in Africa.

Author : James Wunsch,Dele Olowu,John W Harbeson,Vincent Ostrom
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 326 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2019-07-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781000301311

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The Failure Of The Centralized State by James Wunsch,Dele Olowu,John W Harbeson,Vincent Ostrom Pdf

This book is an outcome of the workshop on Political Theory and Policy Analysis, held in Indiana, during the 1985/86. It seeks to explains why the centralized African state has failed and discusses the breakdown of social processes indirectly caused by the policies of the centralized state.

Author : Lovise Aalen,Ragnhild L. Muriaas
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 182 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2017-10-12
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781315472393

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Manipulating Political Decentralisation by Lovise Aalen,Ragnhild L. Muriaas Pdf

Can autocrats establish representative subnational governments? And which strategies of manipulation are available if they would like to reduce the uncertainty caused by introducing political decentralisation? In the wake of local government reforms, several states across the world have introduced legislation that provides for subnational elections. This does not mean that representative subnational governments in these countries are all of a certain standard. Political decentralisation should not be confused with democratisation, as the process is likely to be manipulated in ways that do not produce meaningful avenues for political participation and contestation locally. Using examples from Africa, Lovise Aalen and Ragnhild L. Muriaas propose five requirements for representative subnational governments and four strategies that national governments might use to manipulate the outcome of political decentralisation. The case studies of Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, and Uganda illustrate why autocrats sometimes are more open to competition at the subnational level than democrats. Manipulating Political Decentralisation provides a new conceptual tool to assess representative subnational governments' quality, aiding us in building theories on the consequences of political decentralisation on democratisation.

Author : James Tyler Dickovick,James Stevenson Wunsch
Publisher : Lynne Rienner Pub
Page : 317 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1626370532

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Decentralization in Africa by James Tyler Dickovick,James Stevenson Wunsch Pdf

In recent decades laws passed by African governments to transfer power and resources to local and other subnational governments (SNGs) have been greeted by many in the policy community with enthusiasm. But how far has decentralization really gone in Africa? How well does it work? And what have been its consequences? The authors of Decentralization in Africa work within a common conceptual framework to examine the process in 10 countries contrasting clear increases in the legal authority of SNGs with the reality of limited successes in deepening democracy.

Author : Jan Erk
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 235 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2018-12-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351259507

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Decentralization, Democracy, and Development in Africa by Jan Erk Pdf

Decentralization reforms introduced to Africa in the 1990s have not always delivered the intended long-term outcomes. This is a collection on the consequences of these reforms two decades on. In addition to general and comparative overviews, the book contains case studies on Ghana, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The common theme across the chapters is that the reforms seem to have engendered political consequences beyond decentralization itself – mostly through interaction with the broader historical, political, social, and economic context. The book thus speaks both to the scholarly literature (on decentralization, democratization, and development) and to the community of development practitioners. Most of the literature on decentralization and development emphasizes questions of institutional design and policy, but here the harder-to-pin-down political patterns marking the workings of decentralization are the main focus of analysis. The debates on development, through the case studies, are connected to the scholarly literatures on comparative federalism, comparative decentralization, and local democracy. The main conclusion that emerges from the studies in the book is that no magic formula that can turn countries into peaceful, stable, and prosperous democracies overnight exists. Furthermore, there are risks involved in importing formal institutions without regard to the local historical, political, social, and economic context. The chapters of this book were originally published as a special issue in Regional and Federal Studies.

Author : Donald S. Rothchild
Publisher : GIGA-Hamburg
Page : 190 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Africa
ISBN : 3928049267

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Strengthening African Local Initiative by Donald S. Rothchild Pdf

Author : Philip Oxhorn,Joseph S. Tulchin,Andrew Selee
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 374 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2004-05-19
Category : Political Science
ISBN : UOM:39015059136898

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Decentralization, Democratic Governance, and Civil Society in Comparative Perspective by Philip Oxhorn,Joseph S. Tulchin,Andrew Selee Pdf

This volume studies the relation of decentralization to democratization at both intermediate and local levels and analyzes how decentralization is transforming the relationship between the state and civil society.

Author : Charles M. Fombad,Nico Steytler,South African Research Chair in Multi-Level Government Law and Policy Nico Steytler
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 561 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2020-03-12
Category : Law
ISBN : 9780198855590

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Corruption and Constitutionalism in Africa by Charles M. Fombad,Nico Steytler,South African Research Chair in Multi-Level Government Law and Policy Nico Steytler Pdf

This collection of essays to focuses on the critical issue of corruption that lies at the heart of the crisis of constitutionalism in Africa. Most anti-corruption measures over the years have been inadequate, serving merely as symbolic gestures to give the impression something is being done. The African Union's declaration of 2018 as the 'African anti-corruption year', belated though it be, is an open recognition by African governments of the impact corruption will have on the continent unless urgent steps are taken. The key objective of this volume is to draw attention to the problem of corruption, the complexity of the situation, with all its multi-faceted social, political, economic and legal dimensions, and the need for remedial action.

Author : Winluck Wahiu,Markus Böckenförde,Nora Hedling
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Constitutional law
ISBN : OCLC:779852624

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A Practical Guide to Constitution Building by Winluck Wahiu,Markus Böckenförde,Nora Hedling Pdf

"A Practical Guide to Constitution Building provides an essential foundation for understanding constitutions and constitution building. Full of world examples of ground-breaking agreements and innovative provisions adopted during processes of constitutional change, the Guide offers a wide range of examples of how constitutions develop and how their development can establish and entrench democratic values. Beyond comparative examples, the Guide contains in-depth analysis of key components of constitutions and the forces of change that shape them. The Guide analyzes the adoption of the substantive elements of a new constitution by looking at forces for the aggregation or dissemination of governmental power, and forces for greater legalization or politicization of governmental power, and examining how these forces influence the content of the constitution. It urges practitioners to look carefully at the forces at play within their individual contexts in order to better understand constitutional dynamics and play a role in shaping a constitution that will put into place a functioning democratic government and foster lasting peace."--

Author : Alan J. Kuperman
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2015-07-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780812246582

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Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa by Alan J. Kuperman Pdf

Presenting the first database of constitutional design in all African countries, and seven original case studies, Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa explores the types of domestic political institutions that can buffer societies from destabilizing changes that otherwise increase the risk of violence.

Author : S. Wing
Publisher : Springer
Page : 245 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2008-04-28
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780230612075

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Constructing Democracy in Transitioning Societies of Africa by S. Wing Pdf

This book explores the process by which constitutions and democratic institutions are constructed. Wing focuses on how innovative constitutional dialogues involving participation, negotiation, and recognition of groups previously excluded from political decision-making may be the key to a legitimate constitution.

Author : Mawere, Munyaradzi,Mwanaka, Tendai R.
Publisher : Langaa RPCIG
Page : 422 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2015-10-24
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789956763009

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Democracy, Good Governance and Development in Africa by Mawere, Munyaradzi,Mwanaka, Tendai R. Pdf

Questions surrounding democracy, governance, and development especially in the view of Africa have provoked acrimonious debates in the past few years. It remains a perennial question why some decades after political independence in Africa the continent continues experiencing bad governance, lagging behind socioeconomically, and its democracy questionable. We admit that a plethora of theories and reasons, including iniquitous and malicious ones, have been conjured in an attempt to explain and answer the questions as to why Africa seems to be lagging behind other continents in issues pertaining to good governance, democracy and socio-economic development. Yet, none of the theories and reasons proffered so far seems to have provided enduring solutions to Africa’s diverse complex problems and predicaments. This book dissects and critically examines the matrix of Africa’s multifaceted problems on governance, democracy and development in an attempt to proffer enduring solutions to the continent’s long-standing political and socio-economic dilemmas and setbacks.