The formal institutions of checks and balances and accountability of leaders to the population are rather weak in this system. With the exceptions of a few works, such as Legesse (1973), the institutions of the decentralized political systems, which are often elder-based with group leadership, have received little attention, even though these systems are widespread and have the institutions of judicial systems and mechanisms of conflict resolution and allocation of resources, like the institutions of the centralized systems. Paramount chiefs: Another category of leadership structure is that of hereditary paramount chieftaincy with various traditional titles and various levels of accountability. The third section looks at the critical role of political and economic inclusion in shaping peace and stability and points to some of the primary challenges leaders face in deciding how to manage inclusion: whom to include and how to pay for it. On the other hand, weak or destructive governance is sometimes the source of conflicts in the first place. African Political Systems is an academic anthology edited by the anthropologists Meyer Fortes and E. E. Evans-Pritchard which was published by Oxford University Press on the behalf of the International African Institute in 1940. The government is undertaking a review of local government, which includes a commitment to introduce direct election of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs). The same factors that hinder nation-building hinder democratization. 1.4. This section grapples with the questions of whether traditional institutions are relevant in the governance of contemporary Africa and what implications their endurance has on Africas socioeconomic development. However, the winner takes all system in the individual states is a democracy type of voting system, as the minority gets none of the electoral college votes. There are very few similarities between democracy and dictatorship. Why traditional institutional systems endure, how large the adherents to them is, and why populations, especially in rural areas, continue to rely on traditional institutions, even when an alternative system is provided by the state, and what the implications of institutional dichotomy is are questions that have not yet received adequate attention in the literature. What sets Hoover apart from all other policy organizations is its status as a center of scholarly excellence, its locus as a forum of scholarly discussion of public policy, and its ability to bring the conclusions of this scholarship to a public audience. PDF The Political Ideology of Indigenous African Political Systems and The Pre-Colonial Period: From the Ashes of Pharaohs to the Berlin Conference At the end of the prehistoric period (10 000 BC), some African nomadic bands began to One is the controversy over what constitutes traditional institutions and if the African institutions referred to as traditional in this inquiry are truly indigenous traditions, since colonialism as well as the postcolonial state have altered them notably, as Zack-Williams (2002) and Kilson (1966) observe. South Africa has a mixed economy in which there is a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic . Despite apparent differences, the strategies of the three countries have some common features as well that may inform other counties about the measures institutional reconciliation may entail. In addition, resolution needs to be acceptable to all parties. Second, the levels of direct battle deaths from these events is relatively low when compared with far higher levels in the wars of the Middle East. Abstract. These events point to extreme state fragility and a loss of sovereign control over violence in the 11 affected countries, led by Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic (CAR). The rise of non-Western centers of power and the return of global polarization among major powers reduce the presence and weight of western influence. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional African . African political systems are described in a number of textbooks and general books on African history. Paramount chieftaincy is a traditional system of local government and an integral element of governance in some African countries such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia and Ivory Coast. The leader is accountable to various levels of elders, who serve as legislators and as judges (Legesse, 1973; Taa, 2017). First, many of the conflicts enumerated take place within a limited number of conflict-affected countries and in clearly-defined geographic zones (the Sahel and Nigeria; Central Africa; and the Horn.) The pre-colonial system in Yoruba can be described to be democratic because of the inclusion of the principle of checks and balances that had been introduced in the system of administration. These circumstances can generate an authoritarian reflex and the temptation to circle the wagons against all sources of potential opposition. The African Charter embodies some of the human . A third layer lies between the other two layers and is referred to in this article as traditional institutions. Government and Political Systems. Finally, the chapter considers the future of the institution against the background of the many issues and challenges considered. In light of this discussion of types of inclusion, the implications for dealing with state fragility and building greater resilience can now be spelled out. This is in part because the role of traditional leaders has changed over time. The nature of governance is central because it determines whether the exercise of authority is viewed as legitimate. A second attribute is the participatory decision-making system. Another layer represents the societal norms and customs that differ along various cultural traits. Building an inclusive political system also raises the question of what levels of the society to include and how to assure that local communities as well as groups operating at the national level can get their voices heard. Three layers of institutions characterize most African countries. There is also the question of inclusion of specific demographic cohorts: women, youth, and migrants from rural to urban areas (including migrant women) all face issues of exclusion that can have an impact on conflict and governance. This brief essay began by identifying the state-society gap as the central challenge for African governance. In Igbo land for example the system of government was quite unique and transcends the democracy of America and Europe. Democracy, Monarchy and Dictatorship: Types of Government Systems By Sulayman Sanneh Date: September 10th, 2021. fIntroduction Africa is a vast and . Rule that is based on predation and political monopoly is unlikely to enjoy genuine popular legitimacy, but it can linger for decades unless there are effective countervailing institutions and power centers. Note that Maine and . for in tradi-tional African communities, politics and religion were closely associated. States would be more effective in reforming the traditional judicial system if they recognized them rather than neglecting them, as often is the case. A third argument claims that chieftaincy heightens primordial loyalties, as chiefs constitute the foci of ethnic identities (Simwinga quoted in van Binsberger, 1987, p. 156). The book contains eight separate papers produced by scholars working in the field of anthropology, each of which focuses in on a different society in Sub-Saharan Africa. Not surprisingly, incumbent leaders facing these challenges look to short-term military remedies and extend a welcome to military partnerswith France, the United States, and the United Nations the leading candidates. On the one side, there are the centralized systems where leaders command near absolute power. Differences and Similarities Between a Democracy and a Republic As institutional scholars state, institutional incompatibility leads to societal conflicts by projecting different laws governing societal interactions (Eisenstadt, 1968; Helmke & Levitsky, 2004; March & Olsen, 1984; North, 1990; Olsen, 2007). By the mid-1970s, the military held power in one-third of the nations of sub-Saharan Africa. In many cases, the invented chieftaincies were unsuccessful in displacing the consensus-based governance structures (Gartrell, 1983; Uwazie, 1994). A strict democracy would enforce the "popular vote" total over the entire United States. The regime in this case captures the state, co-opts the security organs, and dissolves civil society. Government: A Multifarious Concept 1.2. There is no more critical variable than governance, for it is governance that determines whether there are durable links between the state and the society it purports to govern. Rules of procedure were established through customs and traditions some with oral, some with written constitutions Women played active roles in the political system including holding leadership and military positions. Against this broad picture, what is striking is the more recent downward trend in democratic governance in Africa and the relative position of African governance when viewed on a global basis. 28, (1984) pp. Maintenance of law and order: the primary and most important function of the government is to maintain law and order in a state. By the mid-1970s, the politics of Africa had turned authoritarian. In other cases, however, they survived as paid civil servants of the state without displacing the traditional elder-based traditional authority systems. The Role and Significance of Traditional Leadership in South African Strictly speaking, Ghana was the title of the King, but the Arabs, who left records . Features of Yoruba Pre colonial Administration - Bscholarly Pastoral economic systems, for example, foster communal land tenure systems that allow unhindered mobility of livestock, while a capitalist economic system requires a private land ownership system that excludes access to others and allows long-term investments on land. African Politics: A Very Short Introduction explores how politics is practised on the African continent, providing an overview of the different states and their systems. Most African countries are characterized by parallel institutions, one representing the formal laws of the state and the other representing the traditional institutions that are adhered to more commonly in rural areas. Thus, another report by PRIO and the University of Uppsala (two Norwegian and Swedish centers) breaks conflict down into state-based (where at least one party is a government), non-state-based (neither party is an official state actor), and one-sided conflicts (an armed faction against unarmed civilians). Traditional affairs | South African Government Traditional Institutions and Governance in Modern African - SSRN The political systems of most African nations are based on forms of government put in place by colonial authorities during the era of European rule. African Traditional Political System and Institution: University of The Gambia, Faculty of humanities and social sciences. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. South Africas strategy revolves around recognition of customary law when it does not conflict with the constitution and involves traditional authorities in local governance. He served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 1981 to 1989. Editorial Citizenship and Accountability: Customary Law and Traditional They succeed when there are political conditions that permit a broad coalition to impose pluralist political institutions and limits and restraints on ruling elites.20 Thus, resilience of both state and society may hinge in the end on the rule of law replacing the rule of men. The US system has survived four years of a norm-busting president by the skin of its teeth - which areas need most urgent attention? 1. Chester A. Crocker is the James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies at Georgetown University. If African political elite opinion converges with that of major external voices in favoring stabilization over liberal peacebuilding agendas, the implications for governance are fairly clear.17. The third section deals with the post-colonial period and discusses some problems associated with African administration. Some African leaders such as Ghanas Jerry Rawlings, Zambias Kenneth Kaunda, or Mozambiques Joachim Chissano accept and respect term limits and stand down. Lawmaking: government makes laws to regulate the behavior of its citizens. Any insurrection by a segment of the population has the potential to bring about not only the downfall of governments but also the collapse of the entire apparatus of the state because the popular foundation of the African state is weak. Relevance of African traditional institutions of governance | Eldis If a critical mass of the leaderse.g., South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cote dIvoire, Algeria, Egyptare heading in a positive direction, they will pull some others along in their wake; of course, the reverse is also true. Understanding the Gadaa System. African traditional institutions continue to exist in most African countries, albeit at different levels of adherence by the populations of the continent. Because these governmental institutions reject the indigenous political systems on which African society was built, they have generally failed to bring political . Most of the regions states were defined geographically by European cartographers at the start of the colonial period. A command economy, also known as a planned economy, is one in which the central government plans, organizes, and controls all economic activities to maximize social welfare. In this paper, I look first at the emergence of the African state system historically, including colonial legacies and the Cold Wars impact on governance dynamics. media system, was concerned with the more systematized dissemination of information between the traditional administrative organ and the people (subjects). There is little doubt that colonial occupation and the ensuing restructuring of African political entities and socioeconomic systems altered African traditional institutions of governance. One layer represents the formal institutions (laws) of the state. The post-colonial State, on the other hand . Many African countries, Ghana and Uganda, for example, have, like all other states, formal institutions of the state and informal institutions (societal norms, customs, and practices). This kind of offences that attract capital punishment is usually . However, their participation in the electoral process has not enabled them to influence policy, protect their customary land rights, and secure access to public services that would help them overcome their deprivation. The settlement of conflicts and disputes in such consensus-based systems involves narrowing of differences through negotiations rather than through adversarial procedures that produce winners and losers. Such a consensus-building mechanism can help resolve many of the conflicts related to diversity management and nation-building. Institutions represent an enduring collection of formal laws and informal rules, customs, codes of conduct, and organized practices that shape human behavior and interaction. In some societies, traditional, tribal authorities may offer informed and genuinely accepted governance, provided that they are not merely government appointees pursuing decentralized self-enrichment. The swing against western norms was captured in an interview with Ugandas repeatedly re-elected president Yoweri Museveni who remarked How can you have structural adjustment without electricity? Overturning regimes in Africas often fragile states could become easier to do, without necessarily leading to better governance. "Law" in traditional Igbo and other African societies assumes a wide dimension and should be understood, interpreted, and applied as such, even if such a definition conflicts with the Western idea. The colonial system constitutes the second section. Tribe Versus Ethnic Group. On the one hand, they recognize the need for strong, responsive state institutions; weak, fragile states do not lead to good governance. There are several types of government that are traditionally instituted around the world. Different property rights laws are a notable source of conflict in many African countries. David and Joan Traitel Building & Rental Information, National Security, Technology & Law Working Group, Middle East and the Islamic World Working Group, Military History/Contemporary Conflict Working Group, Technology, Economics, and Governance Working Group, Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies, Understanding the Effects of Technology on Economics and Governance, Support the Mission of the Hoover Institution. Traditional Governance Systems - Participedia Some African nations are prosperous while others struggle. Africa: Laws and Legal Systems - Geography The Alafin as the political head of the empire was . The differences are in terms of how leaders come to assume their positions, how much power they command, and how accountable they are to their communities. The result is transitory resilience of the regime, but shaky political stability, declining cohesion, and eventual conflict or violent change. They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals . Traditional institutions have continued to metamorphose under the postcolonial state, as Africas socioeconomic systems continue to evolve. Broadly speaking, indigenous systems of governance are those that were practiced by local populations in pre-colonial times. A long-term route to political and economic success has been comprehensively documented by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their global study of why nations fail or succeed. However, institutions are rarely static and they undergo changes induced by internal transformations of broader socioeconomic systems or by external influences or imposition, and in some cases by a combination of the two forces.
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