Political Opposition And Democracy In Sub Saharan Africa

Author : Elliott Green,Johanna Söderström,Emil Uddhammar
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2016-04-08
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134933129

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Political Opposition and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa by Elliott Green,Johanna Söderström,Emil Uddhammar Pdf

This book takes a closer look at the role and meaning of political opposition for the development of democracy across sub-Saharan Africa. Why is room for political opposition in most cases so severely limited? Under what circumstances has the political opposition been able to establish itself in a legitimate role in African politics? To answer these questions this edited volume focuses on the institutional settings, the nature and dynamics within and between political parties, and the relationship between the citizens and political parties. It is found that regional devolution and federalist structures enable political opposition to organize and gain local power, as a supplement to influence at the central level. Generally, however, opposition parties are lacking in organization and institutionalization, as well as in their ability to find support in civil society and promote the issues that voters find most important. Overall, strong executive powers, unchecked by democratic institutions, in combination with deferential values and fear of conflict, undermine legitimate opposition activity. This book was originally published as a special issue of Democratization.

Author : Adebayo O. Olukoshi
Publisher : Nordic Africa Institute
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9171064192

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The Politics of Opposition in Contemporary Africa by Adebayo O. Olukoshi Pdf

In South Africa, Michael Neocosmos

Author : John A. Wiseman
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 251 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2002-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134829897

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Democracy and Political Change in Sub-Saharan Africa by John A. Wiseman Pdf

The book provides readers a set of case studies covering a diverse range of African states in order to identify the major causes of change and the movement towards democracy.

Author : Elliott Daniel Green,Johanna Söderström,Emil Uddhammar
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Africa
ISBN : 0415870380

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Political Opposition in Sub-Saharan Africa by Elliott Daniel Green,Johanna Söderström,Emil Uddhammar Pdf

This book scrutinizes current challenges of political opposition in Sub-Saharan Africa, through a number of case studies. In doing so, the book focuses on the institutional settings, the nature and dynamics within and between the political parties, and the relationship between the citizens and the political parties. It was originally published as a special issue of Democratization.

Author : Jonathan van Eerd
Publisher : Springer
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2017-04-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783319508382

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The Quality of Democracy in Africa by Jonathan van Eerd Pdf

This book shows that democratization in sub-Saharan Africa can be successful, even if the government remains dominated by one major political party. If an institutionalized and strong opposition party – even when too weak to take power – challenges the dominant government party, the quality of democracy improves substantially. The comparative study demonstrates that competitive opposition parties in dominant party systems are rooted in the historical legacy of political cleavages related to de-colonization that precede the third wave of democratization of the 1990s and have survived the instability of post-independence political developments to the present day. The study covers 19 African countries and 55 elections overall, including four in-depth case studies of Botswana, Lesotho, Ghana and Mali. It offers scholars and practitioners of electoral democracies and competitive authoritarian regimes a novel view on the role of party systems in processes of democratization. It makes an important contribution to the general literature on state building intertwined with democratization and representation in old and new democracies.

Author : Roger Southall
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2014-01-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781135277345

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Opposition and Democracy in South Africa by Roger Southall Pdf

This collection examines the nature, scope and prospects for political opposition under African National Congress political dominance.

Author : Wolfgang Stuppert
Publisher : Springer
Page : 164 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2019-06-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783030227920

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Political Mobilizations and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa by Wolfgang Stuppert Pdf

This book explores why democratization processes in Sub-Saharan Africa have made so little progress despite more than two decades of multi-party politics on the subcontinent. By applying multiple linear regression analyses to a new data set on multi-party elections in Sub-Saharan Africa, the study investigates the relationship between political mobilizations and electoral competitiveness. It finds that the more societal groups engage in political mobilizations, such as protests and strikes, the more competitive elections become. Based on these results, the author argues for a change in the policies of international democracy assistance programs. The study’s findings suggest that efforts to promote democracy would likely be more successful if international donors focused their support on organizations that have active constituencies and are willing to use their mobilization capacity to address ruling elites with political or socio-economic grievances.

Author : Matthias Basedau,Gero Erdmann,Andreas Mehler
Publisher : NAI Publishers
Page : 308 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Political Science
ISBN : UOM:39015074297444

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Votes, Money and Violence by Matthias Basedau,Gero Erdmann,Andreas Mehler Pdf

Following the (re-) introduction of multiparty systems in Africa in the early 1990s, third and fourth elections in Africa’s new democracies and hybrid regimes are now being seen. Although there is a large and growing literature on democracy and elections in Africa, parties and party systems have hitherto not been the focus of research, which may be surprising given their central role in a liberal democracy. The early works from the 1960s and 1970s provide neither a sound conceptual nor empirical basis. Research on political parties and party systems in Africa is still in its infancy. Various contributions in this volume address the theoretical and conceptual challenges provided by the African parties and party systems with their particular features of weak organization, informal relationships dominated by "big men" and clientelism within a neopatrimonial setting. Others raise the crucial question of representation in relation to ethnicity, civil society and gender, or look into the empirical relationship between party systems and democracy. Further chapters ask questions about the appropriate electoral system for the multiethnic context in Africa and deal with the problem of electoral system reform. Finally, there are chapters which focus on the neglected area of electoral violence, and the moral role of money and vote buying is scrutinized through a case study. An important conclusion is that party research in Africa needs more conceptual clarity as well as empirical research particularly on party organization, voting behavior, and the role of ethnicity. The volume is written for academics and graduate students in Comparative Politics, Party Research, Electoral and African Studies. It will be also useful for professionals dealing with Africa in (political) development assistance.

Author : John Michael Healey,Mark Robinson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Africa, Sub-Saharan
ISBN : STANFORD:36105070483529

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Democracy, Governance, and Economic Policy by John Michael Healey,Mark Robinson Pdf

Examines the political dimensions of economic policy making in the 1970s and 1980s.

Author : Gordon Crawford,Gabrielle Lynch
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 376 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2013-09-13
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781135706357

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Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects by Gordon Crawford,Gabrielle Lynch Pdf

It is two decades since the ‘third wave’ of democratization began to roll across sub-Saharan Africa in the early 1990s. This book provides a very timely investigation into the progress and setbacks over that period, the challenges that remain and the prospects for future democratization in Africa. It commences with an overall assessment of the (lack of) progress made from 1990 to 2010, exploring positive developments with reasons for caution. Based on original research, subsequent contributions examine various themes through country case-studies, inclusive of: the routinisation of elections, accompanied by democratic rollback and the rise of hybrid regimes; the tenacity of presidential powers; the dilemmas of power-sharing; ethnic voting and rise of a violent politics of belonging; the role of ‘donors’ and the ambiguities of ‘democracy promotion’. Overall, the book concludes that steps forward remain greater than reversals and that typically, though not universally, sub-Saharan African countries are more democratic today than in the late 1980s. Nonetheless, the book also calls for more meaningful processes of democratization that aim not only at securing civil and political rights, but also socio-economic rights and the physical security of African citizens. This book was originally published as a special issue of Democratization

Author : Milton Krieger
Publisher : African Books Collective
Page : 121 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2008-04-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789956715855

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Cameroon's Social Democratic Front: Its History and Prospects as an Opposition Political Party (1990-2011) by Milton Krieger Pdf

" Cameroon's Social Democratic Front (SDF) was among the watershed challenges c.1990 by sub-Saharan Africa's democratization forces against autocratic regimes, but it crested in 1992 and has subsided since. Yet the party survives, participates in the National Assembly, maintains a grass roots structure, and prepares for a presidential ballot in 2011 that will likely determine its fate. The author conducted research four times in Cameroon, 1989-1999, focusing on the SDF since 1991, and maintains party contacts to the present. The book assesses its history and its prospects, covering the SDF in Africa-wide as well as Cameroonian terms. ""Krieger has given us the first, superbly researched, finely tuned analysis of the fortunes of a major contemporary African opposition party, Cameroon's Social Democratic Front (SDF)."" - Victor Le Vine, Washington University, St. Louis, USA. ""The book goes far beyond its title and puts in context a daylight re-emergence of political opposition in Cameroon. To say that this long overdue history of the SDF party is a prolegomena to understanding contemporary Cameroon social forces is not an overstatement."" - Ambroise Kom, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon. ""...a level-headed but provocative examination of the structure and workings of a major African country...the sobriety with which he evaluates institutions and leadership is commendable, yielding exceptional analysis that will stand the test of time."" - Toyin Falola, Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria. Milton Krieger started teaching and research about sub-Saharan Africa in 1970. Nine trips there include four research visits providing two years time in Cameroon, 1989-99. The second, 1991, coincided with 'villes mortes' and turned his primary scholarship to the Social Democratic Front. Access to party documents, officials, and rank and file members included visitor status at the 1995 and 1999 national conventions. Party contacts continue to the present."

Author : Gabrielle Lynch,Peter VonDoepp
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 684 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2019-07-02
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351623636

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Routledge Handbook of Democratization in Africa by Gabrielle Lynch,Peter VonDoepp Pdf

This volume explores the issues and debates surrounding the ongoing processes of democratization in sub-Saharan Africa, illuminating the central dynamics characterizing Africa’s democratic experiments, and considering the connections between democratization and economic, social, and cultural developments on the continent. Reflecting the diverse and rich nature of this field of study, the Handbook of Democratization in Africa features more than thirty contributions structured into six thematic sections: The politics and paths of regime development Institutional dynamics Political mobilization and voting dynamics The politics of identity Social forces from below The consequences of democracy. Chapters offer overviews of the key scholarship on particular topics, including central insights from the latest research, and provide suggestions for those interested in further inquiry. The material includes attention to broad cross-continental patterns, for example with respect to public opinion, political violence, or the role of different institutions and actors. It also includes rich case material, drawing on and highlighting the experiences of a diverse collection of countries. Encouraging a comprehensive view of key concerns and enhancing understanding of particular issues, the Handbook of Democratization in Africa represents a critical resource for experts and students of African politics, democratization, and African studies.

Author : W. J. Breytenbach
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 116 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 1997
Category : Africa, Sub-Saharan
ISBN : STANFORD:36105070796565

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Democratisation in Sub-Saharan Africa by W. J. Breytenbach Pdf

Author : Karolina Hulterström,Amin Y. Kamete,Henning Melber
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 94 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015070708345

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Political Opposition in African Countries by Karolina Hulterström,Amin Y. Kamete,Henning Melber Pdf

This Discussion Paper is another outcome of the “Liberation and Democracy in Southern Africa” project, which was coordinated at the Institute between 2001 and 2006. The papers are revised versions of presentations made at the “Comparative Sociology” Session of the Research Committee at the XVI World Congress of Sociology held at the end of July 2006 in Durban. They explore different aspects of the role of opposition parties in several East and Southern African countries, which differ according to the socio-political determinants.

Author : John Mukum Mbaku,Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere
Publisher : Africa Research and Publications
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Political Science
ISBN : IND:30000116730411

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Multiparty Democracy and Political Change by John Mukum Mbaku,Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere Pdf