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Through a detailed historical investigation of the Voltaic region, the book theorizes the state in transition as the constitutive condition of the African state, rendering centralization processes as always transient, uncertain, even dangerous endeavors.
In the first twenty-five years of African independence the behaviour of the African state elites has not been, with a few notable exceptions, conducive to self-sustained development. What are the reasons for this sorry state of affairs? What can be done to reverse that unfortunate trend? These are the two overarching questions with which this book attempts to grapple.
Part of a series of studies that examine political issues confronting African peoples, societies and states, this text explores: theories of the state, the transition to democracy and economic development. Published in association with ROAPE North America: Africa World Press
What conditions motivate a transition to democracy? Can the dynamics of a transition influence its outcome? Under what circumstances has democracy been consolidated in Africa? This trilogy of questions has become necessary in light of the current democratic wave engulfing Africa and the rest of the world. In examining the conditions that initiate democratic transitions, this book investigates the circumstances under which democracy movements have operated between 1980 and 1990. It concludes that, contrary to dominant democratic theory, the transitions to democracy in Africa have occurred under declining levels of development. With regard to transitions, the book recognizes that they have their own dynamics. Two main types of transitions are discerned: top-down and bottom-up. The book argues that in spite of the restrictive nature of top-down transitions, they offer a better opportunity for democratic consolidation because of the consensus between elites of the pro-democracy regime and their counterparts in the authoritarian regime, a condition that is normally absent under bottom-up transitions. Finally, relying on the cases of consolidated democracies, the book derives an African democracy model. The model delineates five main conditions that facilitate democratic consolidation, including good leadership, relevant political institutions, external support, civic space, and a reasonable level of development. It cautions, however, that these are not sufficient conditions, nor are all of them necessary. Since countries have unique historical circumstances, specific countries will have to combine conditions in the model that are relevant to that society to consolidate its democracy. The right combination will depend on the specific needs of the individual country.
Englebert argues that differences in economic performance both within Africa and across the developing world can be linked to differences in historical state legitimacy.
The author looks at different approaches towards regional and continental unity, and the need to restructure the African state. He contends that reconfiguration of the African state is necessary after the institutions inherited at independence, especially centralisation of power, have failed to serve the people. He calls for decentralisation of power in order to enable the people - different groups - to set their own agenda for sustainable development. Power should be in the hands of the people at the grassroots level using local institutions to formulate development plans, control and allocate resources in their own areas. Reconfiguration of the African state will also help to accommodate different ethnic groups on equal basis and enable marginalised groups, especially smaller and weaker groups, to fully participate in the political process and get a fair share of the nation's resources without being dominated and exploited by others, especially dominant groups. Restructuring the state will also enable all groups to play an equal role in achieving unity, stability and development. The work is also an examination of the transition African countries have gone through since independence and the problems they have faced and continue to face in terms of nation building and trying to achieve and maintain peace and stability without which prosperity is impossible. It is a call for rebuilding Africa through a combination of innovative approaches.
France and South Africa, for two generations the premier powers on the African continent, are at a crossroads. With the ending of apartheid and the Cold War, the divisive politics of the recent past are being replaced by a new dynamism of cooperation. Analysing the nature of this complex web of economic and political association is critical to a better understanding of the future direction of this most central of relationships in Africa. Bringing together a host of noted scholars and practitioners in African international relations from both France and South Africa, this book addresses the changing nature of this relationship and its implications for the future of the continent.
Reno (political science, Florida International U.) examines alternative, usually clandestine, economic systems, arguing that such phenomena as tax evasion, illicit production, smuggling, and protection rackets have become widespread and integral to building political authority in parts of Africa. He also clarifies the limitations of the liberalizing reforms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by detailing how weak- state and warlord political economies restrict and manipulate bank and IMF prescriptions. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Analyzing nineteen cases, this title offers practical perspective on the implications of constitution-making procedure, and explores emerging international legal norms.
South Africa in Transition utilises new theoretical perspectives to describe and explain central dimensions of the democratic transition in South Africa during the late 1980s and early 1990s, covering changes in the politics of gender and education, the political discourses of the ANC, NP and the white right, constructions of identity in South Africa's black townships and rural areas, the role of political violence in the transition, and accounts of the democratization process itself.