Routledge Handbook of Democratization in Africa

✍ Scribed by Gabrielle Lynch and Peter VonDoepp

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 499
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

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.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Information
Table of contents
Illustrations
List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Democracy in practice—diversity and complexity
The significance of elections
The role of institutions
Diverse actors
Democracy and “the people”
Conclusion: democratic realities
Notes
References
Part I The politics and paths of regime development
1 Neopatrimonialism and democracy
Democracy with one adjective
Neopatrimonial democracy?
Measuring neopatrimonialism
How neopatrimonial are African regimes?
Regional trends
Variation across African countries
Neopatrimonialism across regime types
Does neopatrimonialism constrain democracy?
Conclusion
Notes
References
2 Pathways to democracy
Approaches to path dependency
The 1990s as a critical juncture
Transitions reevaluated
Conclusion
Notes
References
3 Post-conflict democratization and power-sharing
Setting the contexts
The problems of power-sharing
Elite-centrism
Sidelining of political parties
Unintended consequences of both temporary and permanent power-sharing
Creation of perverse incentives to engage violently in politics
Conclusion
Notes
References
4 The impact of foreign aid
The conditional political impacts of foreign aid
Foreign aid as incumbency support
The rise of democracy assistance
The decline and fall of political conditionality
Towards neo-modernization theory?
Conclusion
References
5 Natural resources
Conceptualizing the oil–politics nexus
Oil politics in Nigeria
The militarization of oil politics in the Niger Delta
Oil politics and civil society
Conclusion
References
Part II Institutional dynamics
6 Federalism and devolution
The promise of decentralization
The decentralization experiment in Africa
Decentralization undermined
Political interference with decentralization
Decentralization to recentralize power
Ethnicizing the polity
Conclusion
Notes
References
7 The struggle for presidential term limits
Evolution of term limits
The effects of presidential term limits on African politics
The campaigns against term limits
Arguments for removing term limits
Outcomes of the efforts to remove term limits
The future of term limits in Africa
Conclusion
Notes
References
8 Executive power and horizontal accountability
Horizontal accountability
Insights on horizontal accountability
Benin
Ghana
Liberia
Malawi
The way forward on executive power and horizontal accountability
Note
References
9 The politics of legislative development
Colonial origins of territorial legislatures
Making imported legislatures work under autocracy
African legislatures since 1990
Conclusion
Notes
References
10 Judicial power
The mixed record of African judiciaries
Perspectives on the empowerment of African courts
External accounts: formal rules and political strategy
Internal accounts: judicial strategy and norms
Towards a historical understanding of judicial power
Thinking about judges, off-bench activities, and informal networks
Conclusion
Notes
References
11 Militaries
The military’s role in launching democratization
Democratization by coup?
Democratization by defection?
Civil–military pathologies in fledgling African democracies
Continued coup threat
Faustian bargains
Authoritarian legacies
Democratic consolidation and the challenge of reform
Conclusion
Notes
References
12 Electoral administration
The origins and diffusion of electoral management bodies in Africa
Electoral bodies in Africa: types and impact on democratization
Classifying electoral bodies
Electoral bodies and democratization: case studies
Electoral bodies in their environment
Côte d’Ivoire 2010: organizing presidential elections in a violent political context
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part III Political mobilization and voting dynamics
13 Voting behavior
How do voters decide?
Ethnicity
Preferences and transaction costs
Ethnic cues
Testing and measuring ethnic voting
Performance and policy
Retrospective evaluations
Prospective evaluations
Testing and measuring performance voting
Data and methodology
Quantitative analyses
Experimental analyses
Qualitative analyses
Conclusion
Notes
References
14 Clientelism
The many faces of clientelism
Brokers and networks in political clientelism
Democratization and the need to look beyond vote buying
Patronage and prebendalism in emerging African democracies
Overcoming clientelism: deliberation, information, and institutions
Conclusion
Notes
References
15 Campaign strategies
The actors
Types of campaign strategies
Campaign rallies
Door-to-door canvassing
Interactions with community leaders and organizations
Campaign advertising through new and traditional media
“Vote buying” and clientelism
Violence and voter intimidation
Communication strategies
Incumbent versus opposition party strategies
Conclusion
Notes
References
16 Political parties and party systems
Party system characteristics
Fragmentation
Institutionalization
Polarization
The reliability of flexible party systems
Party typologies and the persistence of the ethnic narrative
Prospects of programmatic political parties in Africa
Conclusion
Notes
References
17 Opposition coalitions
Why coalesce?
Coalitions literature in established democracies
Coalitions literature in Africa
Electoral systems
Ethnicity
Methodological considerations
Coalitions and democratization in Africa
Conclusion
Notes
References
18 The use of electoral violence
Measuring electoral violence
Measurement issues
Causes: root and proximate
The electoral cycle and violence
The pre-election period
The election period
The post-election period
Effectiveness of election violence and consequences for democratic development
Preventing electoral violence
Changing attitudes
Reinforcing institutional capacity
Election monitoring
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part IV The politics of identity
19 Christianity and democracy
The mission churches: the push for multiparty democracy and beyond
Political engagement by Pentecostals
Political actors embrace Pentecostal language and rituals
Pentecostals in the political sphere
Conclusion
Notes
References
20 Islam and democracy
Perceptions of Islam and democracy in Africa
Do Muslims support democracy?
Islam, secularism, and legacies of state control
“Democratizing” the Muslim public sphere or promoting radicalization?
Conclusion
Notes
References
21 Gender politics
Political liberalization and women’s role in politics
Regime type and women’s descriptive representation
Beyond the legislature
Competitive elections and persistent barriers to gender parity
Political party bias and candidate selection
Socioeconomic status
Sociocultural norms
Quotas and substantive representation for women in African democracies
Conclusion
Notes
References
22 Ethnic politics
Understanding and measuring ethnic politics
The political salience of ethnic identities
Limitations of non-ethnic mobilization strategies
The appeal of ethnic mobilization
Variation in ethnic politics across Africa
Conclusion
Notes
References
23 Generational dynamics and youth politics
Youth, nationalism, and postcolonial politics
Incorporating the youth into democracy
The impact(s) of youth incorporation
The youth and political party growth
Promoting democratic quality
Human rights
Equality/inclusion
Accountability
Responsiveness
Participation
Marginalized youth, popular politics, and the threat of violence
Youth, protests, and deeper accountability
The dangers of violence
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part V Social forces from below
24 Public opinion and democratic legitimacy
Do Africans want democracy?
Cross-national variation
What do Africans understand as “democracy”?
Open-ended questions
Closed-ended questions
Forced choices among proffered definitions
Where does demand for democracy come from?
Demand for democracy over time
Do Africans think they are getting democracy?
Dissatisfied democrats
Conclusion
Notes
References
25 Civil society
Civil society and the democratization of Africa: revisiting the 1990s
Civil society in the contemporary context
Does civil society matter?
The limits of civil society
The meta critique remains
Ongoing conceptual and analytical challenges
Some pathways forward
Conclusion
References
26 Digital media, networked spaces, and politics
Digital media and citizen engagement
Critiquing Africa’s digital media and network spaces
State response to the politics of cyberspace
Conclusion
References
27 Popular protest and accountability
The third wave of protest in Africa
Pitfalls of interpreting contemporary African protests
Revolutions without revolutionaries?
Advice for policymakers
Conclusion
Notes
References
28 Urban politics
Urbanization and inequality
Urbanization and democratization
Voting behavior and protests
Politician responses
Decentralization and party contestation
Variations in decentralized institutions
Cities as a stronghold for opposition parties
Intergovernmental relations and urban service delivery
Strategies of subversion
Implications for urban development and service delivery
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part VI The consequences of democracy
29 Economic growth and development
Regimes and development in the African context
The democratic wave and economic change
Understanding the relationships between regimes and development
The development regime debate redux
Conclusion
Notes
References
30 Corruption
Definitions in the midst of competing normative orders
The public domain in African politics
What corruption is, and is not
Democratization and corruption
Conclusion
Notes
References
31 Sexual minority rights
Sexual minorities: past and present
Factors driving homophobia
The case of Ghana
Using the law courts as a safeguarding strategy
Conclusion
Note
References
32 Citizenship
Exclusionary citizenship: governing through political instrumentalization
Normative citizenship: making the good citizen
Insurgent citizenship: holding the state to account?
Conclusion
References
Index