Political Opposition and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Political Opposition and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Elliott Green

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-08

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1134933126

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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.


Book Synopsis Political Opposition and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa by : Elliott Green

Download or read book Political Opposition and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa written by Elliott Green and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


The Politics of Opposition in Contemporary Africa

The Politics of Opposition in Contemporary Africa

Author: Adebayo O. Olukoshi

Publisher: Nordic Africa Institute

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 9789171064196

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In South Africa, Michael Neocosmos


Book Synopsis The Politics of Opposition in Contemporary Africa by : Adebayo O. Olukoshi

Download or read book The Politics of Opposition in Contemporary Africa written by Adebayo O. Olukoshi and published by Nordic Africa Institute. This book was released on 1998 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In South Africa, Michael Neocosmos


Political Opposition in Sub-Saharan Africa

Political Opposition in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Elliott Daniel Green

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780415870382

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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.


Book Synopsis Political Opposition in Sub-Saharan Africa by : Elliott Daniel Green

Download or read book Political Opposition in Sub-Saharan Africa written by Elliott Daniel Green and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


Democracy and Political Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

Democracy and Political Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: John A. Wiseman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2002-11

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1134829892

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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.


Book Synopsis Democracy and Political Change in Sub-Saharan Africa by : John A. Wiseman

Download or read book Democracy and Political Change in Sub-Saharan Africa written by John A. Wiseman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002-11 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


The Quality of Democracy in Africa

The Quality of Democracy in Africa

Author: Jonathan van Eerd

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-04-07

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 3319508385

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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.


Book Synopsis The Quality of Democracy in Africa by : Jonathan van Eerd

Download or read book The Quality of Democracy in Africa written by Jonathan van Eerd and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-04-07 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


Opposition and Democracy in South Africa

Opposition and Democracy in South Africa

Author: Roger Southall

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-01-14

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1135277346

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


Book Synopsis Opposition and Democracy in South Africa by : Roger Southall

Download or read book Opposition and Democracy in South Africa written by Roger Southall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-01-14 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection examines the nature, scope and prospects for political opposition under African National Congress political dominance.


Political Mobilizations and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa

Political Mobilizations and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Wolfgang Stuppert

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-06-14

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 3030227928

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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.


Book Synopsis Political Mobilizations and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa by : Wolfgang Stuppert

Download or read book Political Mobilizations and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa written by Wolfgang Stuppert and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-14 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


Democracy, Governance, and Economic Policy

Democracy, Governance, and Economic Policy

Author: John Michael Healey

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13:

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


Book Synopsis Democracy, Governance, and Economic Policy by : John Michael Healey

Download or read book Democracy, Governance, and Economic Policy written by John Michael Healey and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the political dimensions of economic policy making in the 1970s and 1980s.


Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects

Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects

Author: Gordon Crawford

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-09-13

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1135706352

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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


Book Synopsis Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects by : Gordon Crawford

Download or read book Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects written by Gordon Crawford and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-09-13 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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


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

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

Author: Milton Krieger

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2008-04-15

Total Pages: 121

ISBN-13: 9956715859

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" 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."


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

Download or read book Cameroon's Social Democratic Front: Its History and Prospects as an Opposition Political Party (1990-2011) written by Milton Krieger and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " 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."