Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa : Preventing Civil War Through Institutional Design / Alan J. Kuperman.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kuperman, Alan J., Editor.

Series:

National and ethnic conflict in the 21st century.

National and Ethnic Conflict in the 21st Century

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civil war--Africa--Prevention.

Civil war.

Constitutional law--Africa--Case studies.

Constitutional law.

Conflict management--Africa--Case studies.

Conflict management.

Africa--Politics and government--1960---Case studies.

Africa.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2015]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Each of Africa's countries has a different constitutional design, is characterized by a unique culture and history, and faces different stresses that threaten to undermine political stability. Presenting the first database of constitutional design in all African countries, along with seven original case studies, Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa explores the types of domestic political institutions that can buffer societies from destabilizing changes that otherwise increase the risk of violence.With detailed comparative studies of Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, contributing scholars identify key turning points at which a state's political institutions either mitigated or escalated the effects of economic, environmental, demographic, and political shocks. They find that stability can be promoted by various constitutional designs—not only by accommodative institutions that encourage decentralization and multiculturalism, but also by the integrative, centralized designs that characterize the constitutions of most African countries. The greatest danger may arise from partial or inequitable accommodation that can exacerbate societal tensions, culminating in violence up to and including civil war and genocide. Accordingly, Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa cautions against the typical international prescription for radical reform to replace Africa's existing constitutions with accommodative designs, instead prescribing more gradual constitutional reform to strengthen liberal institutions, such as strong judiciaries and independent electoral commissions. This detailed and methodical volume provides vital lessons for fostering democracy and reducing civil conflict via constitutional reform in Africa and beyond.Contributors: Justin Orlando Frosini, Gilbert M. Khadiagala, Alan J. Kuperman, Karly Kupferberg, Eli Poupko, Eghosa E. Osaghae, Andrew Reynolds, Filip Reyntjens, Arame Tall, Hillary Thomas-Lake, Stefan Wolff, I. William Zartman.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

1. Designing Constitutions to Reduce Domestic Conflict

2. Burundi: Institutionalizing Ethnicity to Bridge the Ethnic Divide

3. Kenya: Gradual Pluralization Fails to Buffer Shocks

4. Nigeria: Devolution to Mitigate Conflict in the Niger Delta

5. Sudan: “Successful” Constitutional Reform Spurs Localized Violence

6. Ghana: The Complements of Successful Centralization: Checks, Balances, and Informal Accommodation

7. Senegal: The Limits of Hyper- Centralization

8. Zimbabwe: The Unintended Consequences of Authoritarian Institutions

9. Africa’s Domestic Institutions of Integration and Accommodation: A New Database

10. Rethinking Constitutional Reform for Democracy and Stability

Notes

List of Contributors

Index

Acknowledgments

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jun 2020)

OCLC:

910456043