Title: Conclusion: Political Institutions and Democracy in Africa: A Research Agenda
Abstract: The thirteen chapters that make up this book have demonstrated the significance of formal political institutions for democracy and development in Africa. However, it is important not to exaggerate the extent to which African politics has changed. The reintroduction of multiparty politics did not represent a clean break from the authoritarian era any more than the first decade of independence represented a clean break from the colonial period. During both transitions much changed, but much also remained the same. The survival of old political logics – winner-takes-all politics, neo-patrimonialism and so on – meant that in many countries the official rules of the game continued to be compromised in important ways in the 1990s. As a result, significant variations have emerged in the degree of political institutionalisation on the continent, which makes it impossible to speak of a common ‘African experience’.
Publication Year: 2018
Publication Date: 2018-02-06
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 4
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