Download or read book Why Do Elections Matter in Africa written by Nic Cheeseman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-02-18 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A radical new approach to understanding Africa's elections: explaining why politicians, bureaucrats and voters so frequently break electoral rules.

Download or read book Social Media and Elections in Africa Volume 1 written by Martin N. Ndlela and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-01-02 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together fresh evidence and new theoretical frameworks in a unique analysis of the increasing role of social media in political campaigns and electoral processes across Africa. Supported by contemporary and historical cases studies, it engages with the main drives behind the various appropriations of social media for election campaigns, organization, and voter mobilization. Contributors in this volume delve into changing and complex aspects of social media, offering an appraisal of theoretical perspectives and examining fascinating case studies which social media use is redefining elections across Africa. Contributions show that new media ecologies are resulting in new policy regimes, user behaviors, and communication models that have implications for electoral processes. The book also provides preliminary analysis of emerging forms of algorithm-driven campaigns, fake news, information distortions and other methods that undermine electoral democracy in Africa.

Download or read book Democracy and Elections in Africa written by Staffan I. Lindberg and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2006-09-11 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description

Download or read book Social Media and Elections in Africa Volume 2 written by Martin N. Ndlela and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-02-14 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, the second of two volumes, explores the challenges and opportunities presented by the increased presence of social media within African politics. Electoral processes in Africa have assumed new dimensions due to the influence of social media. As social media permeates different aspects of elections, it is ostensibly creating new challenges and opportunities. Most evident are the challenges of hate speech, misogyny and incivility. This book considers the impact of digital media before, during, and after elections, as well as authorities' attempts to legislate and regulate the internet in response. Contributions to this volume analyse social media posts, transgressive images, newspaper articles, and include case studies of Algeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda. This results in the delivery of an original depiction of the use of social media in a variety of African contexts. This book will appeal to academics and students of media and communication studies, political studies, journalism, sociology, and African studies.

Download or read book Journal of African Elections written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 1000 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Violence in African Elections written by Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-04-15 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Multiparty elections have become the bellwether by which all democracies are judged, and the spread of these systems across Africa has been widely hailed as a sign of the continent's progress towards stability and prosperity. But such elections bring their own challenges, particularly the often intense internecine violence following disputed results. While the consequences of such violence can be profound, undermining the legitimacy of the democratic process and in some cases plunging countries into civil war or renewed dictatorship, little is known about the causes. By mapping, analysing and comparing instances of election violence in different localities across Africa – including Kenya, Ivory Coast and Uganda – this collection of detailed case studies sheds light on the underlying dynamics and sub-national causes behind electoral conflicts, revealing them to be the result of a complex interplay between democratisation and the older, patronage-based system of 'Big Man' politics. Essential for scholars and policymakers across the social sciences and humanities interested in democratization, peace-keeping and peace studies, Violence in African Elections provides important insights into why some communities prove more prone to electoral violence than others, offering practical suggestions for preventing violence through improved electoral monitoring, voter education, and international assistance.

Download or read book Elections and Conflict Management in Africa written by Timothy D. Sisk and published by US Institute of Peace Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elections have emerged as one of the most important, and most contentious, features of political life on the African continent. In the first half of this decade, there were more than 20 national elections, serving largely as capstones of peace processes or transitions to democracies. The outcomes of these and more recent elections have been remarkably varied, and the relationship between elections and conflict management is widely debated throughout Africa and among international observers. Elections can either help reduce tensions by reconstituting legitimate government, or they can exacerbate them by further polarizing highly conflictual societies. This timely volume examines the relationship between elections, especially electoral systems, and conflict management in Africa, while also serving as an important reference for other regions. The book brings together for the first time the latest thinking on the many different roles elections can play in democratization and conflict management.

Download or read book Electoral Politics in Africa since 1990 written by Jaimie Bleck and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-11-29 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Democratic transitions in the early 1990s introduced a sea change in Sub-Saharan African politics. Between 1990 and 2015, several hundred competitive legislative and presidential elections were held in all but a handful of the region's countries. This book is the first comprehensive comparative analysis of the key issues, actors, and trends in these elections over the last quarter century. The book asks: what motivates African citizens to vote? What issues do candidates campaign on? How has the turn to regular elections promoted greater democracy? Has regular electoral competition made a difference for the welfare of citizens? The authors argue that regular elections have both caused significant changes in African politics and been influenced in turn by a rapidly changing continent - even if few of the political systems that now convene elections can be considered democratic, and even if many old features of African politics persist.

Download or read book Elections in Africa written by Dieter Nohlen and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 1999-07-22 with total page 1000 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elections have always been an integral part of post-independence African politics and have assumed utmost importance in the course of recent democratisation processes. However, comparative research on the political development in Africa lacks reliable electoral data. Elections in Africa fills this cap. The handbook is the only reliable source for African elections from independence to present. In the first volume of this series, Elections in Africa presents a country-by-country study of African nations that provides a comparative introduction on elections and electoral systems. Each country chapter examines the history of the institutional and electoral arrangements, the evolution of suffrage and current electoral provisions. Precise and exhaustive data on national elections and referendums are presented comparatively. The book provides a definitive and comprehensive set of data on elections and electoral systems in order to facilitate comparative research. Data is presented in a systematic manner allowing for both historical and cross-national comparisons.

Download or read book Election Observation and Democratization in Africa written by NA NA and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-30 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an authoritative study of election observation in Africa and its relation with democratization processes. Election observation is a hotly debated issue in contemporary international relations and in political science. It is seen by donor- countries and the international community as a means to enhance democratization, but has been controversial with regard to the `mandates' of the observers, the cases of its misappropriation by authoritarian governments and its masking of other donor-country interests. The book addresses fundamental issues of elections and democrat-ization in Africa, evaluation policies and implementation, as well as the historical backgrounds. A range of case studies leads to new interpretations, which challenge previous empiricist accounts of election observation in Africa. Greater attention to historical and cultural context is required than has been present in previous, somewhat prescriptive accounts. An interdisciplinary approach gives fair coverage of the historical, political and cultural issues involved in elections and election observation in Africa. Key examples of the interface between election observation and democratization processes in various important countries in Africa are presented, linking an analysis of policies and practice. The book contributes to topical debates on the dilemmas and challenges of 'good governance' and on the varieties of democracy as a global phenomenon.

Download or read book The State of Peacebuilding in Africa written by Terence McNamee and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-11-02 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book on the state of peacebuilding in Africa brings together the work of distinguished scholars, practitioners, and decision makers to reflect on key experiences and lessons learned in peacebuilding in Africa over the past half century. The core themes addressed by the contributors include conflict prevention, mediation, and management; post-conflict reconstruction, justice and Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration; the role of women, religion, humanitarianism, grassroots organizations, and early warning systems; and the impact of global, regional, and continental bodies. The book's thematic chapters are complemented by six country/region case studies: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan/South Sudan, Mozambique and the Sahel/Mali. Each chapter concludes with a set of key lessons learned that could be used to inform the building of a more sustainable peace in Africa. The State of Peacebuilding in Africa was born out of the activities of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding (SVNP), a Carnegie-funded, continent-wide network of African organizations that works with the Wilson Center to bring African knowledge and perspectives to U.S., African, and international policy on peacebuilding in Africa. The research for this book was made possible by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Download or read book Reflections on the 2019 South African General Elections written by Joleen Steyn Kotze and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-12-17 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reflections on the 2019 South African General Elections is a critical reflection on the key lessons of Elections 2019 in South Africa, focusing on the future of the country’s electoral democracy. The volume engages questions on land, election campaigns, voter turnout, voter apathy, and how opposition parties will be forced to co-exist in the context of declining electoral dominance the ANC once comfortably held. An important reflection on the lessons of the 2019 South African General Elections, the contributors ask: Quo Vadis South Africa? The 2019 General Elections marked a watershed in South Africa’s political landscape. The ANC under the banner of a narrative of regeneration and getting back on the moral path dipped below the 60 % mark for the first time in South Africa’s democratic history. This decline in electoral support for the party may be interpreted as a degeneration of the ANC through the loss of its moral stature, the erosion of its integrity and disillusionment with its performance as a governing party. Opposition political parties could not capitalise on this seeming disillusionment with the ruling ANC. Caught in their own factional battles and in the midst of corruption scandals, opposition parties were unable to successfully increase their share of the vote, and capture the undecided and disillusioned voter. Considering the future of South Africa’s electoral democracy at 25 years of democracy, Reflections on the 2019 South African General Elections will be of great interest to scholars of African Studies, South Africa, Governance and Elections. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies.

Download or read book Political Parties in South Africa written by Thuynsma, Heather and published by Africa Institute of South Africa. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Political parties and the party system that underpins South Africa’s democracy have the potential to build a cohesive and prosperous nation. But in the past few years the ANC’s dominance has strained the system and tested it and its institutions’ fortitude. There are deeper issues of accountability that often spurn the Constitution and there is also a clear need to foster meaningful public participation and transparency. This volume offers a different and detailed assessment of the health of South Africa’s political system. This study intends to unravel the condition of the party system in South Africa and culminates in the question: Do South African parties promote or hinder democracy in the country? The areas of the party system that are known to require continued work are the weakness of democratic structures within parties, the perceived lack of responsibility of elected parliamentarians towards voters, non-transparent private partner financing structures and a lack of attractiveness of party-political commitment, especially for women. Experts in the respective fields address all of these areas in this book.

Download or read book Power Politics in Zimbabwe written by Michael Bratton and published by . This book was released on 2015-10-07 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zimbabwe¿s July 2013 election brought the country¿s ¿inclusive¿ power-sharing interlude to an end and installed Mugabe and ZANU-PF for yet another¿its seventh¿term. Why? What explains the resilience of authoritarian rule in Zimbabwe? Tracing the country¿s elusive search for political stability across the decades, Michael Bratton offers a careful analysis of the failed power-sharing experiment, an account of its institutional origins, and an explanation of its demise. In the process, he explores key challenges of political transition: constitution making, elections, security-sector reform, and transitional justice.

Download or read book Democratization in Africa written by Larry Jay Diamond and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The country-specific chapters serve to underline the differences between African democracy and liberal democracy, yet some authors are at pains to emphasize that whatever their limitations, African democracies are an advance over what had gone before." -- African Studies Review

Download or read book Controlling Territory Controlling Voters written by Michael Wahman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2023-10-19 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Violence in election campaigns is common across the African continent and beyond. According to some estimations, most African elections contain some degree of violence and most of this violence happens before elections, during the campaign. While campaign violence is a common problem, it affects citizens differently across localities. When violence and intimidation become an integral part of election campaigns in a locality, they become tools of sub-national authoritarianism that may effectively dismantle local democracy. This book focuses on the political geography of election violence in Africa, building on one important observation: elections in many African countries are highly regional and the support for political parties are rarely nationalized. Wahman argues that in such environments, campaign violence becomes an important tool used by parties to control and regulate access to space. Building on a wealth of data and extensive fieldwork in Zambia and Malawi, the author uses a combination of electoral geography analysis, constituency-level election violence data collected from local election monitors, focus group interviews, archival material, and individual-level survey data to show how campaign violence in both countries is used as a territorial tool, predominantly within party strongholds. Oxford Studies in African Politics and International Relations is a series for scholars and students working on African politics and International Relations and related disciplines. Volumes concentrate on contemporary developments in African political science, political economy, and International Relations, such as electoral politics, democratization, decentralization, the political impact of natural resources, the dynamics and consequences of conflict, and the nature of the continent's engagement with the East and West. Comparative and mixed methods work is particularly encouraged. Case studies are welcomed but should demonstrate the broader theoretical and empirical implications of the study and its wider relevance to contemporary debates. The series focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, although proposals that explain how the region engages with North Africa and other parts of the world are of interest. General Editors Nic Cheeseman, Peace Medie, and Ricardo Soares de Oliveira.

Download or read book How to Rig an Election written by Nic Cheeseman and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An engrossing analysis of the pseudo-democratic methods employed by despots around the world to retain control Contrary to what is commonly believed, authoritarian leaders who agree to hold elections are generally able to remain in power longer than autocrats who refuse to allow the populace to vote. In this engaging and provocative book, Nic Cheeseman and Brian Klaas expose the limitations of national elections as a means of promoting democratization, and reveal the six essential strategies that dictators use to undermine the electoral process in order to guarantee victory for themselves. Based on their firsthand experiences as election watchers and their hundreds of interviews with presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, election officials, and conspirators, Cheeseman and Klaas document instances of election rigging from Argentina to Zimbabwe, including notable examples from Brazil, India, Nigeria, Russia, and the United States—touching on the 2016 election. This eye-opening study offers a sobering overview of corrupted professional politics, while providing fertile intellectual ground for the development of new solutions for protecting democracy from authoritarian subversion.