The failure of democracy in the Republic of Congo / John F. Clark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clark, John F. (John Frank), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--Congo (Brazzaville).

Democracy.

Democratization--Congo (Brazzaville).

Democratization.

Congo (Brazzaville)--Politics and government--1960-1997.

Congo (Brazzaville).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (321 p.)

Place of Publication:

Boulder, Colorado : Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Why did the democratic experiment launched in the Republic of Congo in 1991 fail so dramatically in 1997? Why has it not been seriously resumed since then? In tackling these complex questions, John Clark provides a thorough analysis of more than fifteen years of Congolese politics. Clark explores a series of logical hypotheses regarding why democracy failed to take root in Congo, moving from political culture to economic performance, ethnoregional identities, French foreign policy, the role of militias, and institutional design. He also discusses the country's present "electoral authoritarian" regime. His conclusions shed light not only on the nature of Congolese politics, but also on the utility of the scientific approach to understanding the social world.

Contents:

""Book Title""; ""Table of Contents""; ""Preface""; ""Map of the Republic of Congo""; ""1-The Republic of Congo: Failure of a Democratic Experiment""; ""An Overview of the Democratic Experiment in Congo""; ""The Research Question""; ""Why the Failure of Formal Democracy Matters""; ""Organization of the Study""; ""Notes""; ""2-Structure, Agency, and the Collapse of Democracy""; ""What Kind of Answer to the Question Is Possible?""; ""A Framework for Analytical Description""; ""The Importance of Comparison in Analytical Description""; ""Conclusion""; ""Notes""

""3-History and Political Culture as Context""""Theoretical Issues of Political Culture and Democratization""; ""The Accretion of Congolese Political Culture""; ""Congolese Political Culture and the Democratic Transition""; ""The Weight of Political Culture in Congo�s Experiment""; ""Notes""; ""4-Political Economy and the Trajectory of Multiparty Politics""; ""Theories of Economic Development and Democratization""; ""The Development of the Congolese Economy and Its Classes""; ""The Economic Performance of the Lissouba Regime""; ""Comparison and Analysis""; ""Notes""

""5-The Challenge of Ethnic and Regional Identities""""Theoretical Approaches to Ethnic and Regional Identities and Democratization""; ""The Emergence and Domestication of Congo�s Ethnic and Regional Identities""; ""The Reemergence of Ethnoregional Politics During the Democratic Experiment""; ""Ethnoregional Politics in Comparative Perspective""; ""Conclusion""; ""Notes""; ""6-The Army and Militias: Forces in Conflict""; ""Congo�s Army Problems in 1991""; ""Military-Civilian Contestation Under the Transitional Regime""; ""Civil-Military Relations Under the Lissouba Regime""

""Comparative Perspectives on the Military in Democratic Consolidation Efforts""""Notes""; ""7-The Constitution and Political Institutions""; ""Relevant Issues of Institutional Design""; ""The Impact of Congo�s Institutional Design""; ""Comparative Perspectives on Congo�s Political Institutions""; ""Notes""; ""8-The Complex Impact of French Policy""; ""The Nature and Reach of French Influence in Francophone Africa""; ""Franco-Congolese Relations from Independence to 1992""; ""Franco-Congolese Relations, 1992�1997: The Evidence of Interference""

""France�s Role in Congo in Comparative Perspective""""Notes""; ""9-Understanding the Failed Experiment in Congo""; ""Epistemological Findings""; ""Substantive Conclusions""; ""Notes""; ""10-After the Experiment: Electoral Authoritarianism Since 1997""; ""Sassou the “Father�""; ""Sassou the “Family Man�""; ""Sassou the “Provider�""; ""The Stagnant Politics of the Postelectoral Period""; ""Conclusion""; ""Notes""; ""Acronyms""; ""References""; ""Index""; ""About the Book""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62637-124-5