Decentralization, Democracy, and
Development in Africa
Decentralization reforms introduced to Africa in the 1990s have not always delivered the intended long-term outcomes. This is a collection on the consequences of these reforms two decades on. In addition to general and comparative overviews, the book contains case studies on Ghana, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The common theme across the chapters is that the reforms seem to have engendered political consequences beyond decentralization itself mostly through interaction with the broader historical, political, social, and economic context. The book thus speaks both to the scholarly literature (on decentralization, democratization, and development) and to the community of development practitioners.
Most of the literature on decentralization and development emphasizes questions of institutional design and policy, but here the harder-to-pin-down political patterns marking the workings of decentralization are the main focus of analysis. The debates on development, through the case studies, are connected to the scholarly literatures on comparative federalism, comparative decentralization, and local democracy.
The main conclusion that emerges from the studies in the book is that no magic formula that can turn countries into peaceful, stable, and prosperous democracies overnight exists. Furthermore, there are risks involved in importing formal institutions without regard to the local historical, political, social, and economic context.
The chapters of this book were originally published as a special issue in Regional and Federal Studies.
Jan Erk is the Jan C. Smuts Memorial Fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK. He completed his doctorate at McGill University and his postdoctoral studies at the University of Toronto, in Canada. In 2018, he will become a fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in South Africa.
Decentralization, Democracy,
and Development in Africa
Edited by
Jan Erk
First published 2018
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN, UK
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2018 Taylor & Francis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised 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 or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 13: 978-0-8153-6634-8
Typeset in Times
by diacriTech, Chennai
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.
Contents
Jan Erk
Gerrit Krol
Tinashe Carlton Chigwata
Daniela Behr, Roos Haer and Daniela Kromrey
Dejen Mezgebe
Elliott Green
The chapters in this book were originally published in Regional and Federal Studies, volume 25, issue 5 (December 2015). When citing this material, please use the original page numbering for each article, as follows:
Jan Erk
Regional and Federal Studies, volume 25, issue 5 (December 2015) pp. 409420
Gerrit Krol
Regional and Federal Studies, volume 25, issue 5 (December 2015) pp. 421438
Tinashe Carlton Chigwata
Regional and Federal Studies, volume 25, issue 5 (December 2015) pp. 439454
Daniela Behr, Roos Haer and Daniela Kromrey
Regional and Federal Studies, volume 25, issue 5 (December 2015) pp. 455472
Dejen Mezgebe
Regional and Federal Studies, volume 25, issue 5 (December 2015) pp. 473490
Elliott Green
Regional and Federal Studies, volume 25, issue 5 (December 2015) pp. 491508
For any permission-related enquiries please visit:
http://www.tandfonline.com/page/help/permissions
Daniela Behr is a PhD candidate at the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Konstanz, Germany. She studied Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Konstanz, at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and at York University in Toronto. Danielas major research interests include (customary) governance, (rural) development, human rights, and land governance. Daniela has done field research in Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Tinashe Carlton Chigwata is a Research Fellow at the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. His research focuses on the role of local and regional governments, Decentralization, and federalism (multilevel government), particularly how these ways of organizing a state can be used to advance development, deepen Democracy, and realize peace. He is also interested in research that focuses on the intersection between state, law, and society.
Jan Erk is the Jan C. Smuts Memorial Fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK. He completed his doctorate at McGill University and his postdoctoral studies at the University of Toronto, in Canada. In 2018, he will become a fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in South Africa.
Elliott Green is an Associate Professor of Development Studies at the London School of Economics, UK. His current research interests are in ethnic politics and political demography, with a particular focus on Africa.
Roos Haer is a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Konstanz, Germany. Her current research focuses on the empirical examination of child soldiering, psychological consequences of conflict participation, survey research in conflict settings, and more broadly, micro level conflict research. Her work has been published, among others, in the Journal of European International Relations and Conflict Management and Peace Science. She has conducted field research in the DRC, Mali, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Gerrit Krol is a PhD researcher at the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute, Fiesole, Italy. His research interests include post-communist transitions, authoritarian politics, and the relation between informal practice and political institutions.
Daniela Kromrey received her PhD from the University of Konstanz, Germany in 2016. Her research focuses on traditional authorities in Africa, components of democracy and comparative democratization, as well as survey research. Danielas work has been published in