Elliott Green - Political Opposition and Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

This book takes a closer look at the role and meaning of political opposition for the development of democracy across sub-Saharan Africa. Why is room for political opposition in most cases so severely limited? Under what circumstances has the political opposition been able to establish itself in a legitimate role in African politics? To answer these questions this edited volume focuses on the institutional settings, the nature and dynamics within and between political parties, and the relationship between the citizens and political parties. It is found that regional devolution and federalist structures enable political opposition to organize and gain local power, as a supplement to influence at the central level. Generally, however, opposition parties are lacking in organization and institutionalization, as well as in their ability to find support in civil society and promote the issues that voters find most important. Overall, strong executive powers, unchecked by democratic institutions, in combination with deferential values and fear of conflict, undermine legitimate opposition activity.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Democratization.

Elliott Green is Lecturer in Development Studies at the London School of Economics. His previous research on colonialism, decentralization, patronage and ethnic politics in Africa has been published in such journals as Comparative Politics, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Development Studies and Studies in Comparative International Development , among others.

Johanna Sdrstrom is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Government, Uppsala University. Her previous research on ex-combatants, peacebuilding, post-war politics and elections, focus groups and Liberia has been published in such journals as Democratization, Conflict, Security and Development, Journal of Modern African Studies and Anthropology Matters, among others.

Emil Uddhammar is a Professor of Political Science at Linnaeus University, Sweden. His previous research on comparative politics, development, democratization, the politics and institutions of natural resources, and political theory has been published in such journals as Decision, Review of International Political Economy, Democratization and Transaction Press, among others.

Edited by
Elliott Green , Johanna Sderstrm
and Emil Uddhammar

First published 2014
by Routledge
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Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 13: 978-0-415-87038-2

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Taylor & Francis Books

Publishers Note
The publisher accepts responsibility for any inconsistencies that may have arisen during the conversion of this book from journal articles to book chapters, namely the possible inclusion of journal terminology.

Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders for their permission to reprint material in this book. The publishers would be grateful to hear from any copyright holder who is not here acknowledged and will undertake to rectify any errors or omissions in future editions of this book.

The chapters in this book were originally published in Democratizations , volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011), When citing this material, please use the original page numbering for each article, as follows:

Chapter 1
Political opposition and democracy in sub-Saharan Africa
Emil Uddhammar, Elliott Green and Johanna Sderstrm
Democratizations , volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1057-1066

Chapter 2
The ANC and power concentration in South Africa: does local democracy allow for power-sharing?
Ragnhild Louise Muriaas
Democratizations , volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1067-1086

Chapter 3
Decentralization and political opposition in contemporary Africa: evidence from Sudan and Ethiopia
Elliott Green
Democratizations , volume 18. issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1087-1105

Chapter 4
Institutionalizing the pro-democracy movements: the case of Zambia's Movement for Multiparty Democracy
Lise Rakner
Democratizations, volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1106-1124

Chapter 6
Parties and issues in Francophone West Africa: towards a theory of non-mobilization
Jaimie Bleck and Nicolas van de Walle
Democratizations, volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1125-1145

Chapter 7
Dissent and opposition among ex-combatants in Liberia
Johanna Sderstrm
Democratizations, volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1146-1167

Chapter 8
Supporting the opposition or the ruling party: stark choices in East Africa
Emil Uddhammar
Democratizations, volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1168-1192

Chapter 9
Effective Opposition Strategies: Collective Goods or Clientelism?
Keith R. Weghorst and Staffan I. Lindberg
Democratizations, volume 18, issue 5 (October 2011) pp. 1193-1214

Please direct any queries you may have about the citations to clsuk.permissions@cengage.com

Emil Uddhammar
Department of Government, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

This special issue takes a closer look at the role and meaning of political opposition for the development of democracy across sub-Saharan Africa. Why is it that room for political opposition in most cases is severely limited? Under what circumstances has the political opposition been able to establish itself in a legitimate role in African politics? To answer these questions this special issue focuses on the institutional settings, the nature and dynamics within and between the political parties, and the relationship between the citizens and the political parties. It is found that regional devolution and federalist structures are areas where the political opposition can find room to organize and gain local power, as a supplement to influence at the central level. Important factors behind support for the opposition are a realistic appreciation of the level of democracy, dissatisfaction with corruption and pro-democratic values. Generally, however, opposition parties are lacking in organization and in institutionalization, as well as in their ability to find support in civil society and at promoting the issues that voters find most important. Overall, strong executive powers, unchecked by democratic institutions, in combination with deferential values and fear of conflict, undermine legitimate opposition activity.