Impediments To Democracy

Author : Lucia Schuster
Publisher : GRIN Verlag
ISBN 13 : 3638193764
Total Pages : 12 pages
Book Rating : 4.64/5 ( download)

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Download or read book What are the main impediments to democracy in Africa written by Lucia Schuster and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2003-06-03 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essay from the year 2002 in the subject Politics - Region: Africa, grade: 2,0 (B), University of Southampton (Department of Politics), course: Africa - Culture and Political Systems, language: English, abstract: Democracy in Africa has been shaped by the colonial powers that ran Africa until the period of decolonisation that began in the 1960’s. Thereafter Africa has attempted to follow the European model of democratic governance. However, whilst African democracy has shown some improvement, it is still having legitimacy problems and African states are characterised by corruption and autocracy. This report will highlight the impediments to the furthering of democracy in Africa and what can be done to increase the role of democracy in African States. There will be a focus on the role played by colonialism and the ethnic divides that exist in Africa. We will then examine how corruption and the economic problems of African States are restraining democratic legitimacy and the effect these problems have on human rights. Lastly, we will concentrate on the role that other state and non-state actors have on democracy in Africa. However, before looking at these aspects of the debate, it is important to understand democracy and its basis. Democracy is not a single approach but rather a commitment to certain institutions such as the rule of law, civil society and political accountability through free and fair elections by an electorate based on universal suffrage. It also includes (to a varying degree) freedom of speech, the development of a civic culture and the acceptance of a social contract.

Author : Samuel P. Huntington
Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN 13 : 0806186046
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Third Wave written by Samuel P. Huntington and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2012-09-06 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 1974 and 1990 more than thirty countries in southern Europe, Latin America, East Asia, and Eastern Europe shifted from authoritarian to democratic systems of government. This global democratic revolution is probably the most important political trend in the late twentieth century. In The Third Wave, Samuel P. Huntington analyzes the causes and nature of these democratic transitions, evaluates the prospects for stability of the new democracies, and explores the possibility of more countries becoming democratic. The recent transitions, he argues, are the third major wave of democratization in the modem world. Each of the two previous waves was followed by a reverse wave in which some countries shifted back to authoritarian government. Using concrete examples, empirical evidence, and insightful analysis, Huntington provides neither a theory nor a history of the third wave, but an explanation of why and how it occurred. Factors responsible for the democratic trend include the legitimacy dilemmas of authoritarian regimes; economic and social development; the changed role of the Catholic Church; the impact of the United States, the European Community, and the Soviet Union; and the "snowballing" phenomenon: change in one country stimulating change in others. Five key elite groups within and outside the nondemocratic regime played roles in shaping the various ways democratization occurred. Compromise was key to all democratizations, and elections and nonviolent tactics also were central. New democracies must deal with the "torturer problem" and the "praetorian problem" and attempt to develop democratic values and processes. Disillusionment with democracy, Huntington argues, is necessary to consolidating democracy. He concludes the book with an analysis of the political, economic, and cultural factors that will decide whether or not the third wave continues. Several "Guidelines for Democratizers" offer specific, practical suggestions for initiating and carrying out reform. Huntington's emphasis on practical application makes this book a valuable tool for anyone engaged in the democratization process. At this volatile time in history, Huntington's assessment of the processes of democratization is indispensable to understanding the future of democracy in the world.

Author : Gedeon Mudacumura
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3319031430
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries written by Gedeon Mudacumura and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-01-04 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ​Despite the large amounts of human and financial resources invested to foster democratic governance in developing countries, statistics show that the majority of these countries have not yet achieved significant improvements in living standards. While some regions make strides towards improving the living conditions of their citizens, Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, is still trapped in poverty with more than 40% of its 600 million people living below the internationally recognized absolute poverty line of one US dollar per day. Poor governance and corruption should be highlighted as the most important systemic factors contributing to poverty in developing countries. As a result the institutional foundations of these countries are weakened, public funds are misappropriated, and policies and programs aimed at reducing poverty and fostering sustainable economic growth are undermined. It is therefore not surprising that a 2008 Transparency International report found a direct link between corruption and the failure of the societal institutions designed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the majority of developing countries. This book investigates the problems of democratic governance, particularly as they relate to corruption, and also whether democracy should be based on universal principles or local context and historical factors. It also analyses the rule of law, in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption and if governmental, non-governmental organizations, and civil societies are effective in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption. This book will go beyond identifying the challenges and offer plausible solutions that could be adapted to various developing countries. It is premised on the importance of bridging theory and practice, which has been lacking in most local and international development publications, making of interest to scholars and policy-makers alike concerned with public administration in developing countries.​

Author : Robert A. Dahl
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 60 pages
Book Rating : 4.01/5 ( download)

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Download or read book On Removing Certain Impediments to Democracy in the United States written by Robert A. Dahl and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 1848880375
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Problems of Democracy: Probing the Boundaries written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-05-06 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present volume, which collects some of the papers read at the First Global Conference on 'Problems of Democracy' that the Inter-Disciplinary Network organised in April-May 2010, in Prague, attempts to contribute to this debate by addressing some of the most pressing issues about democracy today.

Author : Edwin Lawrence Godkin
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.00/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Problems of Modern Democracy written by Edwin Lawrence Godkin and published by . This book was released on 1896 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aristocratic opinions of democracy.--Popular government.--Some political and social aspects of the tariff.--Criminal politics.--"The economic man."--Idleness and immorality.--The duty of educated men in a democracy.--Who will pay the bills of socialism?--The poltical situation in 1896.--The real problems of democracy.--The expenditure of rich men

Author : Claude Ake
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 0815723482
Total Pages : 184 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Democracy and Development in Africa written by Claude Ake and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2001-09-19 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite three decades of preoccupation with development in Africa, the economies of most African nations are still stagnating or regressing. For most Africans, incomes are lower than they were two decades ago, health prospects are poorer, malnourishment is widespread, and infrastructures and social institutions are breaking down. An array of factors have been offered to explain the apparent failure of development in Africa, including the colonial legacy, social pluralism, corruption, poor planning and incompetent management, limited in-flow of foreign capital, and low levels of saving and investment. Alone or in combination, these factors are serious impediments to development, but Claude Ake contends that the problem is not that development has failed, but that it was never really on the agenda. He maintains that political conditions in Africa are the greatest impediment to development. In this book, Ake traces the evolution and failure of development policies, including the IMF stabilization programs that have dominated international efforts. He identifies the root causes of the problem in the authoritarian political structure of the African states derived from the previous colonial entities. Ake sketches the alternatives that are struggling to emerge from calamitous failure--economic development based on traditional agriculture, political development based on the decentralization of power, and reliance on indigenous communities that have been providing some measure of refuge from the coercive power of the central state. Ake's argument may become a new paradigm for development in Africa.

Author : Freedom House
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1538112035
Total Pages : 1040 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Freedom in the World 2018 written by Freedom House and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-01-31 with total page 1040 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Freedom in the World is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The methodology of this survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories.

Author : Marvin Zimmerman
Publisher : Humanities Press International
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 182 pages
Book Rating : 4.16/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Contemporary Problems of Democracy written by Marvin Zimmerman and published by Humanities Press International. This book was released on 1972 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309047978
Total Pages : 94 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Democratization in Africa written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-02-01 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global movement toward democracy, spurred in part by the ending of the cold war, has created opportunities for democratization not only in Europe and the former Soviet Union, but also in Africa. This book is based on workshops held in Benin, Ethiopia, and Namibia to better understand the dynamics of contemporary democratic movements in Africa. Key issues in the democratization process range from its institutional and political requirements to specific problems such as ethnic conflict, corruption, and role of donors in promoting democracy. By focusing on the opinion and views of African intellectuals, academics, writers, and political activists and observers, the book provides a unique perspective regarding the dynamics and problems of democratization in Africa.