Political Liberalization and Democratization in Africa

Book flyer
MS Word
International
MS Word

Political Liberalization and Democratization in Africa Lessons from Country Experiences

Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere, John Mukum Mbaku

Book Code: C7506

ISBN: 0-275-97506-1

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-97506-7

DOI:

400 pages, tables

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 12/30/2003

List Price: $86.95 (UK Sterling Price: £49.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Reviews:

Readers in search of a compelling account of Africans politics during the 1990s will find this a demanding and satisfying read. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.
—Choice October 2004
[M]akes a solid contribution to the mounting literature on political development in Africa....This collection is useful for those who study the politics of Africa as well as those who study the process of democratization more broadly. Those scholars conducting cross-national research that includes African cases can gain greater understanding of the patterns they see by reading this book. In addition, nearly all of the country chapters provide detailed information about elections that have taken place in particular countries. Those who include numerous country studies in their African politics courses may find that this is a useful book to assign.
—International Journal of African Historical Studies 2005

Description: Mbaku, Ihonvbere, and their contributors, while adopting a critical approach to the study of African political economy, take a stand against Afro-pessimism. They articulate an holistic agenda for addressing Africa's mulitfarious problems, reject received knowledge, and, through a dialectical methodology, draw attention to the centrality of social categories/classes, the state, civil society, the environment, communities, and patterns of change in the continent. Relying on fieldwork, hard data, and critical reviews of the extant literature, the volume highlights the importance of democracy and democratization to the urgent restructuring that Africa needs in the new globalization. Paying attention to the continent's historical experiences and its specificities, the contributors draw attention to the importance of grassroots action, leadership, and the need to constitutionally entrench civil liberties.

Table of Contents:

List of Tables
List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
Acronyms
Introduction: Establishing Generalities and Specificities in Africa's Struggle for Democracy and Development by Julius O. Ihonvbere and John Mukum Mbaku
Transition to Democratic Governance in Africa: Learning from Past Failures by John Mukum Mbaku
Dismantling a Discredited One-Party Regime: Populism and Political Liberalization in Zambia by Julius O. Ihonvbere
Problematizing a Transition: The Power Elite, the State and Transition Politics in Cameroon by Nantang Fua
Planned and Unplanned Outcomes: Uneven and Unsteady Pathways to Democratization in Nigeria by Victor Adefemi Isumonah
The State and the Politics of Democratic Consolidation in Benin, 1990-1999 by Kunle Amuwo
The Military and "Democratization" in The Gambia, 1994-2000 by Abdoulaye Saine
Unsteady Steps and Uncertain Politics: Political Democratization in Post-Civil War Liberia by George Klay Kieh Jr.
Between Dictatorship and Democracy: A Critical Evaluation of Kabila's "Revolution" in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Osita G. Afoaku
Overcoming a One-Man Dictatorship: Political Liberalization and Democratization in Malawi by Julius O. Ihonvbere
The Contested State of Democracy in South Africa by Roger Southall
Eritrea's Aborted Democratization by Kidane Mengisteab
Land Reform and Zimbabwe's Troubled Transition to Democratic Governance by Sam Moyo
Selected Bibliography
Index

LC Card Number: 2003052897

LCC Class: JQ1879

Dewey Class: 320


All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2008 Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881, (203) 226-3571