Too Young to Run?

Too Young to Run?
Author: John Seery
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2015-09-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0271074590

Under the Constitution of the United States, those with political ambitions who aspire to serve in the federal government must be at least twenty-five to qualify for membership in the House of Representatives, thirty to run for the Senate, and thirty-five to become president. What is the justification for these age thresholds, and is it time to consider changing them? In this provocative and lively book, John Seery presents the case for a constitutional amendment to lower the age barrier to eighteen, the same age at which citizens become eligible to vote. He divides his argument into three sections. In a historical chapter, he traces the way in which the age qualifications became incorporated in the Constitution in the first place. In a theoretical chapter, he analyzes the normative arguments for office eligibility as a democratic right and liberty. And in a political chapter, he ruminates about the real-world consequences of passing such an amendment and the prospects for its passage. Finally, in a postscript, he argues that younger citizens in particular ought to be exposed to this fundamental issue in civics.

Too Young to Run?

Too Young to Run?
Author: John Evan Seery
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2011
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0271048530

"Examines the history, theory, and politics behind the age qualifications for elected federal office in the United States Constitution. Argues that the right to run for office ought to be extended to all adult-age citizens who are otherwise office-eligible"--Provided by publisher.

Africa’s Radicalisms and Conservatisms

Africa’s Radicalisms and Conservatisms
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2021-01-11
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9004445072

This book features essays that untangle, express and discuss issues in and around the intersections of politics, social justice, intolerance, terrorism, minorities, poverty, and education, and as they relate to the two concepts of radicalisms and conservatisms in Africa.

Governance in Nigeria post-1999: Revisiting the democratic ‘new dawn’ of the Fourth Republic

Governance in Nigeria post-1999: Revisiting the democratic ‘new dawn’ of the Fourth Republic
Author: Edited by Romola Adeola & Ademola Oluborode Jegede
Publisher: Pretoria University Law Press
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2020-03-06
Genre: Law
ISBN: 192053881X

At the start of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic on 29 May 1999, there was great optimism as to the emergence of a new democratic future representing a significant break from the political undulations of the past. Two decades and four presidential epochs later, there is a prevalent question as to how well Nigeria has fared in governance and human rights post-1999. This book revisits the democratic ‘new dawn’ of the Fourth Republic discussing pertinent matters integral to Nigeria’s democratic future post-2019.

Not Too Young to Run? Age Requirements and Young People in Elected Office

Not Too Young to Run? Age Requirements and Young People in Elected Office
Author: Mona Lena Krook
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2018
Genre:
ISBN:

Abstract: Promoting youth representation in parliaments is a growing global priority. To promote youth leadership and more inclusive politics, youth organizations in Nigeria mobilized successfully for a constitutional reform to lower the eligibility age to run for political office. In this paper, we draw on global data to assess whether lower eligibility ages will in fact lead to higher levels of youth participation. We find that lower age requirements positively affect the representation of the youngest and next youngest cohorts in parliament. We draw on qualitative interviews and gender literature to theorize that lower age limits have immediate and longer-term "mobilizing effects", shifting the calculations of potential candidates in terms of the age at which they first decide to run for office

Reflections on Leadership and Institutions in Africa

Reflections on Leadership and Institutions in Africa
Author: Kenneth Kalu
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2020-05-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1786616084

This book contains different reflections on leadership and institutions in Africa. Drawing from different ideological and methodological orientations, the book highlights how leadership and institutions have shaped and continue to shape the trajectory of Africa’s political and economic development. The book explores different epochs in Africa’s history, from the era of colonialism to the period of nationalist movements, and up to post-colonial Africa. Essays in the volume engage with major actors and important institutions that defined each era. By presenting various reflections and representations of leadership and institutions in Africa, this book attempts to make the connection between leadership and institutions on the one hand, and between these variables and Africa’s development on the other. Similar to most studies on Africa’s political economy, the book considers the role of external forces whether operationalized through direct interventions as was the case during the colonial era, or through subtle imposition of policies as has been the new model in post-colonial times. Drawing from these lenses, issues around Africa’s dependency on external interventions, neo-colonialism, neoliberalism, and disregard for Africa’s culture are explored and contextualized within the framework of leadership and institutions.

Identity Transformation and Politicization in Africa

Identity Transformation and Politicization in Africa
Author: Toyin Falola
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2022-09-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1666917931

Identity Transformation and Politicization in Africa: Shifting Mobilization, edited by Toyin Falola and Céline A. Jacquemin, questions whether identity is providing and sustaining power for elites, or fueling oppression and conflicts, being mobilized for exclusionary movements versus inclusive societal changes, or educating in ways that foster progress and development. Do aspects of African identities and the challenges they present also hold prospects for more inclusive and peaceful democratic and representative futures? The contributors cover a wide spectrum of expertise on different African countries (Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Morocco, and Libya). They come from diverse disciplines (History, Political Science, Public Administration, Philosophy, Economics and Finance, Cultural Studies, Music, and International Relations), and use various methods and approaches in their research. Some contributors belong to the groups whose identity is being scrutinized and are participants in the efforts to politicize and mobilize, while others remain outside observers, who share some traits or interests with the African identities examined and provide different kinds of insights. Several chapters explore how innovative pedagogical projects studying African history and identity—facilitated by the internet and new social media—transform and connect with the African continent. Each author provides important insights on how mobilization around identity issues has been shifting with the internet and social media.

Young People, Violence and Strategic Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Young People, Violence and Strategic Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Kammila Naidoo
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2023-01-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3031206797

This edited volume offers a rich collection of up-to-date research and critical scholarship from various African institutions on incidents of youth violence, intervention and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. It integrates thinking, evidence, responses, and debates relating to this topic, laying the basis for fresh insights and innovative strategies. The chapters capture a spectrum of pertinent issues such as economic hardship, lockdowns, sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy, online sexual harassment, xenophobic violence, and micro-aggressions in school contexts, and present guidelines on how countries might learn from successful interventions recently implemented. They explore young people’s access to familial and community resources, state-sponsored initiatives, peer counselling, youth-friendly services, and other relevant structures. Thus, among other things, this volume stimulates further debate on what is driving violence in different African contexts—specifically, how intersectional identities create vulnerabilities to violence—and influences ways of dealing with the issue. This interdisciplinary and cross-cutting volume serves as a vital resource for experts at universities, in international organisations, civil society groups and intergovernmental organisations who wish to both analyse and take action to address and prevent the type of violence that currently afflicts young people sub-Saharan Africa today.

Soro Soke

Soro Soke
Author: Trish Lorenz
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2022-05-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1009211862

For the first time in human history, people aged over 65 now outnumber children under five. Yet one region in the world is bucking this trend: the world's top 20 youngest countries by population are all located in sub-Saharan Africa, and Africa's population under 35 now equals almost a billion people. Whilst there has been much research and reportage in the West around the lives of millennials and Gen Z, little has been written on the dreams and aspirations, the fears and hopes, the needs and desires of young Africans. The Yoruba expression Soro Soke, meaning “Speak Up”, has become a clarion call for young Nigerians seeking to make their voices heard, resonating across the African continent and around the world via social media. Trish Lorenz speaks to the bright new entrepreneurs, artists, and activists of Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria, to understand what it means to be young in an otherwise ageing world. This book is also available Open Access.