Democratization

Biafran ghosts : The MASOB Ethnic Militia and Nigeria’s Democratisation Process

Upphovsperson:	Okonta, Ike
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala, Sweden
År:	2012
Ämnesord:	Nigeria, Biafra, Democratization, political development, Ethnicity, Ethnic groups, Interethnic relations, Social movements, nationalism, Political science, Statsvetenskap

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), an ethnicmilitia, emerged in the Igbo-speaking region of Nigeria in 1999, shortly after military rule ended and Olusegun Obasanjo took office as elected President. MASSOB’s stated goal is the struggle for Igbo self-determination and the re-emergence of a new sovereign state in the eastern part of the country to be known as the ‘United States of Biafra’, thereby raising the spectre of a possible break up of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This Discussion Paper examines the circumstances of MASSOB’s emergence in a period of political transition and considerable uncertainty as the Nigerian armed forces began to prepare to relinquish their grip on power, and the specific ways the promoters of this ethnicmilitia movement have shaped Nigeria’s still unfolding democratization process since 1999.

Report of the conference Nordic Solidarity with the Liberation Struggles in Southern Africa, and Challenges for Democratic Partnerships into the 21st Century, 11-14 February, 1999

Medarbetare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet,
Utgivare:	Kapstaden : Robben Island Museum; Mayibuye Center; Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	1999
Ämnesord:	national liberation movements, International cooperation, Liberation, Democratization, Conference report, anti-apartheid movements, Southern Africa, Scandinavia, Finland, Political science, Statsvetenskap

Cadres, capitalists, elites and coalitions : The ANC, business and development in South Africa

Upphovsperson:	Van Wyk, Jo-Ansie
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2009
Ämnesord:	Post-apartheid, political development, Democratization, Political leadership, Elite, political parties, Governance, Economic conditions, South Africa, Political science, Statsvetenskap

The transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa is widely regarded as an exemplary case of an elite political settlement. Moreover, South Africa’s political history in the last two decades can certainly be understood in terms of the way old, new, political and economic elites interacted in different domains and sectors to resolve major collective problems and produce institutional solutions that would work – even if some of these solutions appeared contentious – and cater to broad interests. The political settlement achieved by opposing elites produced a unique democratic pact. However, less attention has been paid to the economic pact achieved by these elites. As a liberation movement, the African National Congress (ANC) advocated nationalisation to undo the socioeconomic legacies of apartheid, but once the political transition had commenced, it discarded nationalisation. Instead, ANC elites opted for pro-business/market policies, which stabilised the economy and attracted much needed foreign direct investment. Their decision was partly attributable to the negotiated political and economic pacts that they concluded with National Party elites and ‘white’ capital. With the political or democratic pact in place, the negotiation and consolidation of the economic pact was achieved with the formation of numerous formal and informal coalitions with first ‘white’ and later ‘black’ capital to undo the economic legacies of apartheid. Not only did the pact result led to a stable political transition, it also in political and economic transformation. More importantly, early signs are now evident of a developmental pact that may result in a successful developmental state capable of achieving equality and equity for all in post-apartheid South Africa.

Democratic Governance and Accountability in Africa : In Search of a Workable Framework

Upphovsperson:	Olukoshi, Adebayo O.
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Africa, political development, Democratization, Political pluralism, political reform, democracy, Governance, Institutional framework, constitutions, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper provides a thought-provoking and radical intervention into the ongoing debates on democratic governance and accountability in Africa. The author undertakes a critical overview of the discourse on democratisation in Africa and notes that democracy on the continent cannot be fully understood on the basis of the ways in which electoral pluralism has played out in the last 20 years. The paper critiques mainstream explanations and points out their shortcomings. It goes on to make a compelling case for an alternative framework based on historically informed dialectical analysis of everyday democracy and struggles for democracy in Africa. Noting that no two democracies are exactly the same, the paper advocates the need for democracy in Africa to be studied on its own terms, and in a way that facilitates taking the African experience into the global arena to produce a truly comparative theory of democratisation on a world scale. The paper is essential reading for all those interested in the history, present and future of democracy in Africa.

Reflections on the Challenge of Reconstructing Post-Conflict States in West Africa : Insights From Claude Ake’s Political Writings

Upphovsperson:	Arowosegbe, Jeremiah O.
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	political development, Democratization, Post-conflict reconstruction, State Nation-building, Peacebuilding, Political theory, Nigeria, Niger Delta, Sierra Leone, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper is based on a theoretical exploration of state reconstruction and the prospects for peacebuilding in post-conflict West African countries based on critical reflections on the political thought of Claude Ake, one of Nigeria’s foremost political thinkers. Its point of departure is the refutation of the view that the state project in Africa is ‘hopeless’ or at a dead-end. It therefore revisits the debate on the viability of the state project in the continent, particularly as it relates to those West African states emerging from or affected by violent conflict. While acknowledging the shortcomings of the state-formation project in some post conflict West African countries, the author argues that the state remains a key institutional and social actor that needs to be understood more in terms of its historical moorings, political economy and marginal position in the international order. Drawing on Ake’s postulations about the limited autonomy of the state in Africa and its links to political violence and conflict, the author critiques both the hegemonic discourses on the nature of the state in Africa and those relating to post-conflict peacebuilding in the continent. The analysis of the latter focuses on the epistemological groundings of mainstream peacebuilding discourses, and posits that there is no guarantee that such imported models ensure sustainable peace in West Africa. Thus, the paper makes a compelling case for reinventing the state in West Africa based on autochthonous democratic transformation in favour of ordinary people. In this regard, it argues for an endogenous transformation of the state in Africa in ways that can strongly root it in the people as a fundamental step towards sustainable and locally owned participatory peacebuilding. It thereby opens up a new perspective on state reconstruction as a step towards ending violent conflict in the sub-region.

Spontaneous or premeditated? : Post-Election Violence in Kenya

Upphovsperson:	Murunga, Godwin R.
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Elections Violence, Political violence, Political crisis, Ethnicity, Democratization, Kenya, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper examines the high levels of post-electoral violence that followed the 2007 Kenyan elections. While noting that the conflict was triggered by the incumbent party’s abuse of the electoral process with the complicity of certain state agencies, the author traces the background causes to the long pent-up grievances among the majority of Kenyan peoples, alienated from and oppressed by a fractious but predatory ruling elite. The paper provides insights into the roots and nature of Kenya’s post-election violence; its manifestations in various regions of the country; and the roles of the ruling Party of National Unity and the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, the police and the international community. Overall, it provides a highly informative and critical account of the unprecedented levels of post-electoral violence in Kenya, exploring its complex ramifications, and the prospects for justice, reconciliation and democratic governance.

Unconstitutional changes of government in Africa. What Implications for Democratic Consolidation?

Upphovsperson:	Omotola, J. Shola
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Africa, Constitutional reform, Political crisis, Coups d’etat, Political power, Democratization, Governance, militarism, case studies, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper is based on a conceptual and analytical reading of cases of unconstitutional change of government in Africa. It provides a deep and up-to-date exploration of the prospects for democratic consolidation on the continent against the backdrop of an upsurge in unconstitutional changes of government. Rather than focus only on the internal threats to democracy in Africa, the author also analyses the role of neighbouring states, regional organisations and hegemonic forces within the international community in advancing or limiting democracy. In this regard, this work sheds light on why the pursuit of the liberal democratic project in Africa has so far appeared to alienate ordinary people, while providing space for dominant elites to tamper with democratic institutions and processes, which then work against popular participation and democratic development. This paper is essential reading for scholars, policy practitioners, analysts and all those with an interest in the prospects for democracy in Africa.

Ethnicity and Democratisation in Africa : Challenges for Politics and Development

Upphovsperson:	Agbu, Osita A.
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala : Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Ethnicity, ethnic conflicts, Interethnic relations, Democratization, politics, Nation-building, Citizenship, Africa, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper explores the challenges that ethnicity poses for democratisation and development in Africa. It provides an overview of the literature on ethnicity and democratisation and an analysis of the trends on the continent since the end of the Cold War. In this regard, it critically examines perspectives on the impact of ethnicity on democracy and analyses the ethnicity-citizenship nexus in the context of the national democratic question in Africa. This provides the basis for the analysis of emerging challenges facing Africa and the way forward. The paper provides additional insights into the ongoing debates about democracy and the nation-state question in Africa and is of interest to scholars, practitioners and the general reader.

Reconceptualising Democratic Local Governance in the Niger Delta

Upphovsperson:	Ebobrah, Solomon T.
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation |
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Nigeria, Niger Delta, Federalism, Public administration, Decentralization, Local government, Governance, Democratization, Social participation, petroleum resources, Resource allocation, Community development, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper critically examines local governance in the Niger Delta and its relevance to the search for inclusive and sustainable conflict-resolution in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It critiques the existing local government system and explores the possibility of reconceptualising local governance along more inclusive, accountable and participatory lines that would institutionalise democracy, development and peace at the grassroots or community level in the troubled oil-rich region. Its originality lies in its departure from top-down perspectives, and its refocusing of attention on the oft-neglected local sites of conflict and under development. The paper will appeal to scholars, policy actors and development planners with a particular interest in developments at the African grassroots level.

Electoral Democratisation in Post-Civil War Guinea-Bissau 1999 - 2008

Upphovsperson:	Rudebeck, Lars
Utgivare:	Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Uppsala
År:	2011
Ämnesord:	Guinea-Bissau, Post-conflict reconstruction, Democratization, elections, political parties, political participation, democracy, Political conditions, Economic conditions, Political science, Statsvetenskap

This Discussion Paper provides a profound analysis of the theory of democratisation as applied in a post-conflict West African context. It includes a compelling analysis of ‘democratisation without development’ in Guinea-Bissau and lays the groundwork for what is to be done to facilitate democratic transformation in the country. This is a must-read for scholars, policy and development practitioners and activists keen on understanding the immediate background to the current challenges facing Guinea-Bissau and their possible resolution.

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