Political Science in Africa

Political Science in Africa PDF Author:
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350299510
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Bringing together African and international scholars, this book gives an account of the present state of the discipline of political science in Africa - generating insights into its present and future trajectories, and assessing the freedom with which it is practiced. Tackling subjects including the decolonization of the discipline, political scientists as public intellectuals, and the teaching of political science, this diverse range of perspectives paints a detailed picture of the impact and relevance of the political science discipline on the continent during the struggles for democratization, and the influence it continues to exert today.

Political Science in Africa

Political Science in Africa PDF Author:
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350299510
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Get Book Here

Book Description
Bringing together African and international scholars, this book gives an account of the present state of the discipline of political science in Africa - generating insights into its present and future trajectories, and assessing the freedom with which it is practiced. Tackling subjects including the decolonization of the discipline, political scientists as public intellectuals, and the teaching of political science, this diverse range of perspectives paints a detailed picture of the impact and relevance of the political science discipline on the continent during the struggles for democratization, and the influence it continues to exert today.

The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Kenya

The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Kenya PDF Author: Wanjala S. Nasong'o
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031158547
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 485

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Book Description
This volume is a bold attempt to address a comprehensive range of themes and issues relating to contemporary Kenya. It covers independent Kenya’s history, society, culture, economics, politics, and environment with great breadth and depth, comprising thirty-four chapters divided into three parts. Part I focuses on independence and the political economy of development, followed by Part II on environment, globalization, gender, and society. Part III examines the external context’s impact and implications for Kenya and the role of Kenya in the global political economy.

Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects

Democratization in Africa: Challenges and Prospects PDF Author: Gordon Crawford
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135706352
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
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

Governance Without a State?

Governance Without a State? PDF Author: Thomas Risse
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231521871
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
Governance discourse centers on an "ideal type" of modern statehood that exhibits full internal and external sovereignty and a legitimate monopoly on the use of force. Yet modern statehood is an anomaly, both historically and within the contemporary international system, while the condition of "limited statehood," wherein countries lack the capacity to implement central decisions and monopolize force, is the norm. Limited statehood, argue the authors in this provocative collection, is in fact a fundamental form of governance, immune to the forces of economic and political modernization. Challenging common assumptions about sovereign states and the evolution of modern statehood, particularly the dominant paradigms supported by international relations theorists, development agencies, and international organizations, this volume explores strategies for effective and legitimate governance within a framework of weak and ineffective state institutions. Approaching the problem from the perspectives of political science, history, and law, contributors explore the factors that contribute to successful governance under conditions of limited statehood. These include the involvement of nonstate actors and nonhierarchical modes of political influence. Empirical chapters analyze security governance by nonstate actors, the contribution of public-private partnerships to promote the United Nations Millennium Goals, the role of business in environmental governance, and the problems of Western state-building efforts, among other issues. Recognizing these forms of governance as legitimate, the contributors clarify the complexities of a system the developed world must negotiate in the coming century.

Regime Change and Succession Politics in Africa

Regime Change and Succession Politics in Africa PDF Author: Maurice Nyamanga Amutabi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136165827
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
Bringing together scholars from a wide array of disciplines - including anthropology, economics, history, sociology, and political science - this volume addresses the problems of the regime change and state failure in Africa in the context of the global economy, but from a specifically African perspective, arguing that the underdevelopment of the African economy is linked to the underdevelopment of the continents' nation states.

The Palgrave Handbook of African Politics, Governance and Development

The Palgrave Handbook of African Politics, Governance and Development PDF Author: Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 134995232X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 917

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Book Description
This handbook constitutes a single collection of well researched articles and essays on African politics, governance and development from the pre-colonial through colonial to the post-colonial eras. Over the course of these interconnected periods, African politics have evolved with varied experiences across different parts of the continent. As politics is embedded both in the economy and the society, Africa has witnessed some changes in politics, economics, demography and its relations with the world in ways that requires in-depth analysis. This work provides an opportunity for old and new scholars to engage in the universe of the debate around African politics, governance and development and will serve as a ready reference material for students, researchers, policy makers and investors that are concerned with these issues.

THE PRESIDENT FOR LIFE PANDEMIC IN AFRICA

THE PRESIDENT FOR LIFE PANDEMIC IN AFRICA PDF Author: Bhekithemba Richard Mngomezulu
Publisher: Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1912234114
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
Dictatorship, contrary to the general belief, is not an African invention. The history of this practice dates back to the Roman Empire where the "e;extraordinary magistrate"e; and the "e;ordinary magistrate"e; wielded uncontrolled power in society. Sadly, post-colonial Africa is replete with examples of African leaders who subsequently adopted the dictatorial approach to governance after independence, almost becoming law unto themselves. Consequently, the 'president for life' phenomenon has invariably become one of the defining features of the African continent - even in the modern era of democracy. Some African leaders assume positions of power and then use state institutions to prolong their stay in office against the wishes of the people and contrary to constitutional imperatives. This book was inspired by the general trend in Africa where an increasing number of African leaders refuse or only grudgingly agree to vacate their positions as presidents when their term of office expires. The key question addressed in the book is: why do African leaders hold on to power beyond their constitutional mandate? The book distinguishes between the first and second generation of African leaders and argues that each generation has its reasons for clinging on to power. It argues that while many of the first generation leaders stayed beyond their constitutional mandate out of a sense of entitlement for leading the independence struggles, the second generation of leaders were mostly animated by greed and insecurity.Using five countries as case studies - Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Zambia and Malawi - the book demonstrates the frequency of this tendency and highlights its impacts on the countries in question.

Effective Governance Under Anarchy

Effective Governance Under Anarchy PDF Author: Tanja A. Börzel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107183693
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
Democratic and consolidated states are taken as the model for effective rule-making and service provision. In contrast, this book argues that good governance is possible even without a functioning state.

Malawi’s Transition from One-Party Autocracy to Enfeebled Democracy

Malawi’s Transition from One-Party Autocracy to Enfeebled Democracy PDF Author: Denis Venter
Publisher: African Books Collective
ISBN: 9996076326
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 572

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Book Description
"Denis Venter's book, Malawi's Transition from One-Party Autocracy to Enfeebled Democracy, takes us through six decades of Malawi's politics, the changes and the confronting challenges His sense of humour and his command over the subject make the reading insightful and enjoyable. The book is a must-read for all academics and practitioners. I can't wait to hold this book in my hands." Dr Nandini Patel, Professor emeritus, Catholic University of Malawi

Oral and Written Expressions of African Cultures

Oral and Written Expressions of African Cultures PDF Author: Toyin Falola
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
Oral and Written Expressions of African Cultures challenges the traditional view of exotic and atavistic Africa with a balanced examination of the continent's realities and challenges. It shows how oral and written expressions capture the complexity, concerns, dynamism, challenges and ingenuity of African masses. It brings together thirteen scholars from different academic backgrounds who draw from the rich repertoire of music, poetry, literature and the media in the continent to unearth the underlying socio-cultural, economic and political factors that shape African societies in the twenty first century. These scholars discuss issues ranging from political manipulations of popular music in Kenya and Argentina, the role of print media in the democratization process in Nigeria, motivations of "vulgar poetry" in South Africa, contemporary gender issues in the Islamic Republic of Sudan, the perseverance of aspects of African cultures in Puerto Rico, misrepresentations of Africa in Rene Maran's Batouala, the function of "lowbrow fiction" in Apartheid South Africa, female African authors' techniques to counter male dominance, to HIV/AID and the cultural taboos associated with the disease in southern Africa, among others.