Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles) ISSN (Print) 0001-9909 - ISSN (Online) 1468-2621 Published by Oxford University Press[425 journals]
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Pages: 133 - 164 Abstract: AbstractHow do young citizens engage with politicians and their political environment in contexts where elections are frequently affected by violence' We explore this question through focus group discussions (FGDs) in Nigeria, a country with high rates of election violence. We argue that young voters in violent electoral environments operate with ‘constrained optimism’, where they perceive low government responsiveness but possess high levels of self-efficacy. Participants condemned violence and expressed little faith in political institutions and leaders to curtail violence, but they also felt a determination to elect a better government and a strong sense of a civic duty to vote, participate in politics, and encourage others to do so as well. Many participants also shared that they would continue to support their preferred candidate if they were accused of violence. Some participants raised concerns about the veracity of such allegations while others explained that politicians sometimes use violence for defensive purposes. Still others stated that they would continue to support candidates who expressed remorse for engaging in violence and committed to peaceful campaigning in the future. Taken together, we argue that young voters in violent contexts operate with ‘constrained optimism’ where they remain committed to democracy, but face constraints on who they support and how they participate. Our findings nuance expectations of the effects of electoral violence on political participation and better help us understand the challenges facing voters in contexts where violence is rife. PubDate: Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adae010 Issue No:Vol. 123, No. 491 (2024)
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Pages: 165 - 192 Abstract: AbstractLegislators make trade-offs when allocating their time and resources to their multiple tasks of representation, legislation, executive oversight, and constituency service. Furthermore, they must decide how much effort to exert or the balance to strike when undertaking a specific function. Existing research provides limited insights into citizens’ preferences over these officeholder multifaceted decisions in sub-Saharan Africa. I offer novel insights into citizens’ preferences using a conjoint survey experiment of Ghanaians to address this knowledge gap. My findings are threefold. First, I find that citizens put more ‘weight’ on constituency-related activities than parliamentary work. Second, in the constituency, citizens value political representation activities more than constituency services. Third, they weigh public-good-oriented constituency services higher than private ones. The research contributes to our understanding of citizen–legislator accountability relationships in sub-Saharan Africa. PubDate: Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adae013 Issue No:Vol. 123, No. 491 (2024)
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Pages: 193 - 221 Abstract: AbstractThe Angola–China connection has famously been branded a ‘marriage of convenience’—an ‘uneasy alliance’ forged for pragmatic reasons at an opportune time of mutual need. In this article, we document how the relationship has more recently undergone a marital burnout of sorts. Chinese loans to Angola have dried up and most Chinese state-owned enterprises have left, as have 90 percent of Chinese migrants. The legacy of this marriage is somewhat mixed. Much of the infrastructure left behind is of dubious quality, while servicing the Chinese debt incurred to finance these projects may consume up to 10 percent of Angola’s GDP. Drawing on three rounds of fieldwork in Angola and over 60 interviews, we trace the souring of Angola–China ties to three concomitant factors: (i) Angolan internal politics; (ii) Chinese reconfiguration; and (iii) exogenous shifts in the global economy. In doing so, we argue that China and Angola are entering new territory, and that this shift in both parties’ calculations can be usefully illuminated by the concept of ‘strategies of extraversion’. Angola’s elites have once again proven that they are adept at transforming external constraints—this time related to China’s increasing financial caution and domestic recalibration—into new opportunities. PubDate: Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adae005 Issue No:Vol. 123, No. 491 (2024)
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Pages: 223 - 241 Abstract: AbstractIs South-South Cooperation providing a path of alterity for Global South states or is it indelibly caught in extractive and exploitative competition over resources and markets' Do Chinese engagements in the Global South increase African agency' Do they compete with or undermine Western-led Liberal International Order norms and standards' There is now a robust scholarship examining the failures and trepidations of the Liberal International Order especially from the vantage point of Global South perspectives. This scholarship sheds light, among other things, on the threat posed to the existing order by emerging powers engaging in South-South cooperation. Yet, despite the anxiety (or excitement) around South-South cooperation as an alternative to the liberal order, the question remains one of substance and concrete outcomes on whether the global order as we know it is being challenged or reinforced by emerging powers. This article argues for the need to look beyond the state as the main focus of analysis and interrogate the mechanisms, processes, and strategies undertaken by a wide array of actors engaging in South-South Cooperation. The article surveys African Affairs scholarship which takes a granular analysis of these dynamics on the ground from the perspectives of enterprises, agents, private business ventures and so on from China, India, and Brazil and how they navigate their engagements with African counterparts. PubDate: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adae006 Issue No:Vol. 123, No. 491 (2024)
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Pages: 277 - 279 Abstract: Against Decolonisation: Taking African agency seriously, by TáíwòOlúfémi. London: Hurst & Company, 2022. xvii+270 pp. £14.99. ISBN 9781787386921 (Paperback). PubDate: Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/afraf/adae015 Issue No:Vol. 123, No. 491 (2024)
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Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
[425 journals]
