Africa's Turn?

Africa's Turn?
Author: Edward Miguel
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 67
Release: 2009-03-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 0262260999

Signs of hope in sub-Saharan Africa: modest but steady economic growth and the spread of democracy. By the end of the twentieth century, sub-Saharan Africa had experienced twenty-five years of economic and political disaster. While “economic miracles” in China and India raised hundreds of millions from extreme poverty, Africa seemed to have been overtaken by violent conflict and mass destitution, and ranked lowest in the world in just about every economic and social indicator. Working in Busia, a small Kenyan border town, economist Edward Miguel began to notice something different starting in 1997: modest but steady economic progress, with new construction projects, flower markets, shops, and ubiquitous cell phones. In Africa's Turn? Miguel tracks a decade of comparably hopeful economic trends throughout sub-Saharan Africa and suggests that we may be seeing a turnaround. He bases his hopes on a range of recent changes: democracy is finally taking root in many countries; China's successes have fueled large-scale investment in Africa; and rising commodity prices have helped as well. Miguel warns, though, that the growth is fragile. Violence and climate change could derail it quickly, and he argues for specific international assistance when drought and civil strife loom. Responding to Miguel, nine experts gauge his optimism. Some question the progress of democracy in Africa or are more skeptical about China's constructive impact, while others think that Miguel has underestimated the threats represented by climate change and population growth. But most agree that something new is happening, and that policy innovations in health, education, agriculture, and government accountability are the key to Africa's future. Contributors Olu Ajakaiye, Ken Banks, Robert Bates, Paul Collier, Rachel Glennerster, Rosamond Naylor, Smita Singh, David N. Weil, and Jeremy M. Weinstein

I Say to You

I Say to You
Author: Gabrielle Lynch
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2011-09-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0226498093

In 2007 a disputed election in Kenya erupted into a two-month political crisis that led to the deaths of more than a thousand people and the displacement of almost seven hundred thousand. Much of the violence fell along ethnic lines, the principal perpetrators of which were the Kalenjin, who lashed out at other communities in the Rift Valley. What makes this episode remarkable compared to many other instances of ethnic violence is that the Kalenjin community is a recent construct: the group has only existed since the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on rich archival research and vivid oral testimony, I Say to You is a timely analysis of the creation, development, political relevance, and popular appeal of the Kalenjin identity as well as its violent potential. Uncovering the Kalenjin’s roots, Gabrielle Lynch examines the ways in which ethnic groups are socially constructed and renegotiated over time. She demonstrates how historical narratives of collective achievement, migration, injustice, and persecution constantly evolve. As a consequence, ethnic identities help politicians mobilize support and help ordinary people lay claim to space, power, and wealth. This kind of ethnic politics, Lynch reveals, encourages a sense of ethnic difference and competition, which can spiral into violent confrontation and retribution.

Violence in African Elections

Violence in African Elections
Author: Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs
Publisher: Zed Books Ltd.
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2018-04-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1786992310

Multiparty elections have become the bellwether by which all democracies are judged, and the spread of these systems across Africa has been widely hailed as a sign of the continent’s progress towards stability and prosperity. But such elections bring their own challenges, particularly the often intense internecine violence following disputed results. While the consequences of such violence can be profound, undermining the legitimacy of the democratic process and in some cases plunging countries into civil war or renewed dictatorship, little is known about the causes. By mapping, analysing and comparing instances of election violence in different localities across Africa – including Kenya, Ivory Coast and Uganda – this collection of detailed case studies sheds light on the underlying dynamics and sub-national causes behind electoral conflicts, revealing them to be the result of a complex interplay between democratisation and the older, patronage-based system of ‘Big Man’ politics. Essential for scholars and policymakers across the social sciences and humanities interested in democratization, peace-keeping and peace studies, Violence in African Elections provides important insights into why some communities prove more prone to electoral violence than others, offering practical suggestions for preventing violence through improved electoral monitoring, voter education, and international assistance.

Electoral Competition and Politicised Ethnicity in Kenya

Electoral Competition and Politicised Ethnicity in Kenya
Author: Abdikadir Askar
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 18
Release: 2018-06-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 366873805X

Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict, Security, grade: A, The University of York, language: English, abstract: Based on the instrumentalist theory of ethnic conflict, the paper examines into the theoretical understanding of how the electoral competition triggers the politicization of ethnicity and ethicized conflict in Kenya. The paper critically interrogates how the Kenyan political elites have used ethnicity as a tool to mobilize their ethnic groups promising to create political and socio-economic opportunities for them at the expense of neglecting the other tribes. Furthermore, the paper scrutinizes the trajectory of politics since 1963 up until 2007 post-election crisis and how the politicization of ethnicity created a sense of mistrust and national division among the diverse ethnic communities in Kenya. Keyword: Electoral Competition, Politicisation of Ethnicity, Kenya

Political Parties in Africa

Political Parties in Africa
Author: Sebastian Elischer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 341
Release: 2013-09-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107033462

This book examines the effects of ethnicity on party politics in ten African countries. Sebastian Elischer finds that five party types exist: the mono-ethnic, the ethnic alliance, the catch-all, the programmatic, and the personalistic party. He uses these party types to show that the African political landscape is considerably more diverse than conventionally assumed.

Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa

Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa
Author: Daniel N. Posner
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2005-06-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1316582973

This book presents a theory to account for why and when politics revolves around one axis of social cleavage instead of another. It does so by examining the case of Zambia, where people identify themselves either as members of one of the country's seventy-three tribes or as members of one of its four principal language groups. The book accounts for the conditions under which Zambian political competition revolves around tribal differences and under which it revolves around language group differences. Drawing on a simple model of identity choice, it shows that the answer depends on whether the country operates under single-party or multi-party rule. During periods of single-party rule, tribal identities serve as the axis of electoral mobilization and self-identification; during periods of multi-party rule, broader language group identities play this role. The book thus demonstrates how formal institutional rules determine the kinds of social cleavages that matter in politics.

Political Violence in Kenya

Political Violence in Kenya
Author: Kathleen Klaus
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 375
Release: 2020-05-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108488501

An analysis of land and natural resource conflict as a source of political violence, focusing on election violence in Kenya.

Ethnicity and Electoral Politics

Ethnicity and Electoral Politics
Author: Jóhanna Kristín Birnir
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2006-12-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139462601

This book asks what distinguishes peaceful plural democracies from violent ones and what distinguishes violent ethnic groups from peaceful ones within the same democracy. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it suggests that ethnic groups and their political demands are not inherently intransigent and that violence is not a necessary corollary of ethnic politics. The book posits that ethnic identity serves as a stable but flexible information shortcut for political choices, influencing party formation and development in new and maturing democracies. It furthermore argues that political intransigence and violence expressed by some ethnic groups stem from circumstances exogenous to ethnic affiliations. In particular, absolute restrictions on ethnic access to the executive produce conditions under which ethnic group incentive to participate in peaceful electoral politics is eliminated. A number of case studies and statistical analysis of all electoral democracies since 1945 are used to test and support the formal argument.

Beyond Ethnic Politics in Africa

Beyond Ethnic Politics in Africa
Author: Dominika Koter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 219
Release: 2016-10-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 131677290X

Why do ethnic politics emerge in some ethnically diverse societies but not others? Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, Dominika Koter argues that the prevailing social structures of a country play a central role in how politicians attempt to mobilize voters. In particular, politicians consider the strength of local leaders, such as chiefs or religious dignitaries, who have historically played a crucial role in many parts of rural Africa. Local leaders can change the electoral dynamics by helping politicians secure votes among people of different ethnicities. Ethnic politics thus can be avoided where there are local leaders who can serve as credible electoral intermediaries between voters and politicians. Koter shows that there is widespread variation in the standing of local leaders across Africa, as a result of long-term historical trends, which has meant that politicians have mobilized voters in qualitatively different ways, resulting in different levels of ethnic politics across the continent.

Multi-Ethnic Coalitions in Africa

Multi-Ethnic Coalitions in Africa
Author: Leonardo R. Arriola
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2013
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107021111

Africa's long-ruling incumbents stay in power because opposition politicians struggle to secure the finances required to build electoral coalitions.