Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa: Democracy and Political Change

251 Pages·1995·2.37 MB·English

by  John Wiseman

Democracy and Political Change in
Sub-Saharan Africa

Since the end of the 1980s the most important political development in
sub-Saharan Africa has been the move towards democracy, which has
affected nearly all the countries in the region. Whilst changes in the global
political environment have played a role, it has been the determination of
peoples within the states concerned which has provided the main impetus
for change.
This book will provide the student with a set of case studies, by an
international group of contributors, covering a diverse range of African
states in order to identify the major causes of recent change, the progress
made so far and the prospects for the future. The case studies range from
states like Nigeria and Uganda, where the transition to multi-partyism has
not occurred, to those like Malawi, Mali and Zambia where a democratic
change of government through the ballot has already taken place. Case
studies of Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Ghana present a more
ambivalent picture.
The development of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa has been extremely
varied. This book will be an essential guide for those who wish to understand
the nature and scope of the most recent changes.
John A.Wiseman is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of
Newcastle upon Tyne.

Democracy and Political
Change in Sub-Saharan
Africa
Edited by John A.Wiseman

London and New York
First published 1995
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

© 1995 John A.Wiseman for the collection; the contributors for individual
chapters
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested

ISBN 0-203-42833-1 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-73657-5 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-11301-6 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-11302-4 (pbk)
This book is dedicated to the countless Africans who have struggled
courageously, at all levels of society, to make democracy a reality on the
continent.

Contents

Contributors ix
Acknowledgements xi
1 Introduction
The movement towards democracy: global, continental
and state perspectives 1
John A.Wiseman
2 Côte d’Ivoire
Multi-party democracy and political change: surviving
the crisis 11
Richard C.Crook
3 Mali
Democracy and political change 45
Richard Vengroff and Moctar Kone
4 Nigeria
Democracy and civil society: the Nigerian transition
programme, 1985–1993 71
Julius Ihonvbere and Olufemi Vaughan
5 Ghana
From personalist to democratic rule 92
Jeff Haynes
6 Ethiopia and Eritrea
The politics of post-insurgency 116
Christopher Clapham
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viii Contents
7 Uganda
The advent of no-party democracy 137
Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle
8 Malawi
The transition to multi-party politics 152
Denis Venter
9 Zambia
Kaunda and Chiluba: enduring patterns of political culture 193
Jan Kees van Donge
10 Conclusion
Assessing the prospects for the consolidation of democracy
in Africa 220
Christopher Clapham and John A.Wiseman
Index 233
Contributors

Christopher Clapham is Professor of Politics and International Relations,
University of Lancaster.
Richard C.Crook is Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Glasgow.
Holger Bernt Hansen is Director of the Centre for African Studies,
University of Copenhagen.
Jeff Haynes is Senior Lecturer in Politics, London Guildhall University.
Julius Ihonvbere is Associate Professor of Politics, University of Texas at
Austin.
Moctar Kone is Professor of Agricultural Extension, Institut Poly-technique
Rural, Mali.
Michael Twaddle is Reader in Politics, Institute of Commonwealth Studies,
University of London.
Jan Kees van Donge is Senior Lecturer in Public Administration, Chancellor
College, University of Malawi.
Olufemi Vaughan is Assistant Professor of African Studies and History,
State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Richard Vengroff is Dean of International Affairs, University of
Connecticut.
Denis Venter is Executive Director of the Africa Institute of South Africa,
Pretoria.
John A.Wiseman is Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Newcastle
upon Tyne.
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