Constitutional Democracy In Africa Forms Of Government

This five-volume work received a Special Commendation in the 2005 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa. The Jury cited the work as: "A magisterial and authoritative treatment of all aspects of constitutional democracy in Africa. The author cares very deeply about democracy thriving in Africa, but never weakens his objectivity in assessing its history or prospects. It places the author securely as one of Africa's great scholars."

This five-volume work received a Special Commendation in the 2005 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa. The Jury cited the work as: "A magisterial and authoritative treatment of all aspects of constitutional democracy in Africa. The author cares very deeply about democracy thriving in Africa, but never weakens his objectivity in assessing its history or prospects. It places the author securely as one of Africa's great scholars."

The third wave of democracy that reached African shores at the end of the Cold War brought with it a dramatic decline from 1990 onwards in dictatorships, military regimes, one-party governments, and presidents for life. Multiparty democracy was at the core of the constitutional revolutions that swept through most of Africa in those watershed years. However, that wave is either losing momentum or receding - or being reversed in its entirety. This volume examines democracy and elections in Africa, a focus motivated by two concerns. First, after 30 years it is important to take stock of the state of constitutional democracy on the continent. The democratic gains of the 1990s and 2000s seem to be falling by the wayside, with the evidence mounting that regimes are concealing authoritarianism under the veneer of elections, doing so in an international context where populist regimes are on the rise and free and fair multiparty elections are consequently no longer a given. It is becoming a battle to protect and retain constitutional democracy. The second reason for this volume's focus on democracy and elections is that multiparty democracy is essential for the proper functioning of the state in addressing the major problems facing Africa - internal conflict, inequality and lack of development, and poor governance and corruption. The focus of this volume is thus on how competitive politics or multiparty democracy can be realized and how, through competition, such politics could lead to better policy and practice outcomes.

Analyses the evolution and major features of Nigeria's political system.

The issues addressed in this rewarding book provide new insight into the way we conceive, reflect and study the problems of political transformation and constitution-making in Africa. The study provides a refreshingly in-depth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of constitutional provisions for managing the challenges of race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, civil liberties and civil-military relations in Africa's transitional democracies. Tracing emerging trends in constitution-making, it blends the theory of constitutional democracy with case studies, and defines the imperative of social justice.

This collection of essays assesses the efforts of African governments to constitutionalise decentralisation, be it in the form of federalism, local government or traditional authorities. Since the end of the Cold War jurisdictions across Africa have witnessed an ostensible return to multi-party democracy within the paradigm of constitutionalism and the rule of law. Linked to the democratisation process, many countries took steps to decentralize power by departing from the heavily centralized systems inherited from colonial regimes. The centralization of power, typically characterized by the personalization and concentration of power in the hands of leaders and privileged elites in capital cities, mostly resulted in repressive regimes and fragile states. As decentralisation is a response to these challenges, this volume analyses the dynamic relationship between the efforts to implement decentralization and presence or absence of constitutionalism. This volume examines a variety of forms and degrees of decentralization found across Africa. It advances a new understanding of trends and patterns and facilitates the exchange of ideas among African governments and scholars about the critical role that decentralisation may play in democratization of and constitutionalism in Africa.

This five-volume work received a Special Commendation in the 2005 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa. The Jury cited the work as: "A magisterial and authoritative treatment of all aspects of constitutional democracy in Africa. The author cares very deeply about democracy thriving in Africa, but never weakens his objectivity in assessing its history or prospects. It places the author securely as one of Africa's great scholars."

This five-volume work received a Special Commendation in the 2005 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa. The Jury cited the work as: "A magisterial and authoritative treatment of all aspects of constitutional democracy in Africa. The author cares very deeply about democracy thriving in Africa, but never weakens his objectivity in assessing its history or prospects. It places the author securely as one of Africa's great scholars."