Realising Democracy and Legitimacy in Southern Africa

Realising Democracy and Legitimacy in Southern Africa PDF

Author: Kenneth Good

Publisher:

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13:

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"This new volume focuses on changing social structure and forces, such as new working classes, civil societies, and ruling and competing elites in the three liberal democracies of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. It concentrates in particular on those institutions which favour or oppose the achievement of accountable, open, and ethical government. The book seeks to interpret the important distinctions that exist between Botswana and its neighbours. The author argues that even though the south is the most democratic region in Africa, this does not obscure the severe limitations of the liberal model, and the need to establish other and broader definitions of democracy." --Book Jacket.

Traditional Leadership and Democratisation in Southern Africa

Traditional Leadership and Democratisation in Southern Africa PDF

Author: Sandra Düsing

Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 412

ISBN-13: 9783825850654

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What are the impacts of ethnically based, traditional political institutions on democratic state and nation building in Southern Africa and how do heterogeneous sources of legitimacy affect the prospects of long-term democratic regime consolidation? What are the impacts of "traditionalism" employed for purposes of party-political mobilization? An indicator for the political influence of traditional leadership in Southern Africa is the fact that a considerable number of democratically elected politicians in high office originate from aristocratic families, representing hereditary traditional leadership structures for centuries. This is evident for the charismatic founding president of the new South Africa; Nelson Mandela, as well as for his adversary, the prime minister-in-office, Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The careful reconsideration of this "state behind the state" has been identified as crucial, in this study, to make any realistic assessments of the prospects for sustainable democratization in Southern African countries in the near future.

Security and Democracy in Southern Africa

Security and Democracy in Southern Africa PDF

Author: Gavin Cawthra

Publisher: IDRC

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1868144534

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Southern Africa has embarked on one of the world's most ambitious security co-operation initiatives, seeking to roll out the principles of the United Nations at regional levels. This book examines the triangular relationship between democratisation, the character of democracy and its deficits, and national security practices and perceptions of eleven southern African states. It explores what impact these processes and practices have had on the collaborative security project in the region. Based on national studies conducted by African academics and security practitioners over three years, it includes an examination of the way security is conceived and managed, as well as a comparative analysis of regional security co-operation in the developing world.

Government Confronts Culture

Government Confronts Culture PDF

Author: Bruce Fuller

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-09-10

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 1135580030

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Transitional societies—struggling to build democratic institutions and new political traditions—are faced with a painful dilemma. How can Government become strong and effective, building a common good that unites disparate ethnic and class groups, while simultaneously nurturing democratic social rules at the grassroots? Professor Fuller brings this issue to light in the contentious, multicultural setting of Southern Africa. Post-apartheid states, like South Africa and Namibia, are pushing hard to raise school quality, reduce family poverty, and equalize gender relations inside villages and townships. But will democratic participation blossom at the grassroots as long as strong central states—so necessary for defining the common good—push universal policies onto diverse local communities? This book builds from a decade of family surveys and qualitative village studies led by Professor Fuller at Harvard University and African colleagues inside Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

Democracy in Africa

Democracy in Africa PDF

Author: Roger Southall

Publisher: HSRC Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13: 9780796920171

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The two papers included in this analysis examine the political and socioeconomic factors that contribute to and constrain upon democratization throughout southern Africa and the African continent. With an emphasis on the policies of government, business, and civil society geared toward reducing inequality and poverty, these studies promote community empowerment as a way to promote local, regional, and national sustainable development on the African continent.

Chieftaincy, the State, and Democracy

Chieftaincy, the State, and Democracy PDF

Author: J. Michael Williams

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 0253221552

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As South Africa consolidates its democracy, chieftaincy has remained a controversial and influential institution that has adapted to recent changes. J. Michael Williams examines the chieftaincy and how it has sought to assert its power since the end of apartheid. By taking local-level politics seriously and looking closely at how chiefs negotiate the new political order, Williams takes a position between those who see the chieftaincy as an indigenous democratic form deserving recognition and protection, and those who view it as incompatible with democracy. Williams describes a network of formal and informal accommodations that have influenced the ways state and local authorities interact. By focusing on local perceptions of the chieftaincy and its interactions with the state, Williams reveals an ongoing struggle for democratization at the local and national levels in South Africa.

State, Land and Democracy in Southern Africa

State, Land and Democracy in Southern Africa PDF

Author: Arrigo Pallotti

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-03-03

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 1317050312

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Each country in southern Africa has a unique history but in all of them socio-economic inequalities and high poverty levels weaken the governments’ legitimacy and represent a challenge to models of economic development. One key issue appears to be the solution of the land question. This vital concern affects both citizenship and democracy in the political systems of the region, yet no government has shown the capacity or commitment to solve it. In this volume leading European, American and African scholars explore in detail the relationship between state, land and democracy. They examine the historical background of asset allocation and its impact on questions of nationality, the definition of citizenship, human rights and the current political and economic processes in southern Africa.

Post-colonial Struggles for a Democratic Southern Africa

Post-colonial Struggles for a Democratic Southern Africa PDF

Author: Carolyn Bassett

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781138913448

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This book explores the struggle for legitimate, accountable government in postcolonial Southern Africa. Using country cases from Tanzania, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia, the collection focuses on dilemmas arising where ex-liberation movements form the governing parties. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary African Studies.

Opposition and Democracy in South Africa

Opposition and Democracy in South Africa PDF

Author: Roger Southall

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13:

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Sixteen essays consider the role, functions, legitimacy, and capacity of political opposition in South Africa, where there is increasing debate not just about whether democracy will survive, but about the quality of that democracy. Divided along lines of history, ideology, aspiration, race, and ethnicity as well as by more immediate competition for electoral support, South Africa's 12 fragmented opposition parties are seen as struggling against major questions of tactics and strategy. The contributors are researchers and academics in sociology, history, and political science from across South Africa. Distributed by ISBS. c. Book News Inc.