Le Mal Zairois
Why Policy Fails in Zaire
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6022980 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael G Schatzberg (Johns Hopkins University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1982 |
| Volume | 81 |
| Issue | 324 |
| Pages | 337-348 |
| Publication date | 1982-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-9909 • E-ISSN: 1468-2621 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a097430 |
| OpenAlex | W1825009769 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 1 |
IN JANUARY 1973 President Mobutu promulgated Law 73-015, a new statute concerning the territorial and administrative organization of Zaire. The law was a sweeping, yet ill-fated, attempt to reform the nation's existing administrative structure. My aim here is neither to recount nor analyze all of the changes which the new law was designed to initiate, but to emphasize those provisions affecting the basic units of local government and administration-the collectivities-and to explain why these reforms failed. Collectivities are crucial in Zaire and merit attention because, to quote one Zairian leader, it is on the shoulders of the collectivity 'that the chances for success of the country's general policy are grounded for it is the only entity in contact with national realities.' In addition, these policy reforms warrant scrutiny because they were conceived and, for the most part, implemented when the now-beseiged regime of Mobutu Sese Seko was at the height of its powers and appeared to be forging ahead on all fronts. An examination of this case of policy failure should indicate, therefore, some of the more deeply-rooted problems of the Zairian polity; difficulties which the present fascination with the more glaring international aspects of the current crisis tends to obscure.2 The reasons why this administrative reform was still-born will be treated in the context of a case study of efforts to implement the new policy in the hinterland, specifically in the area of Lisala.3 Initially, however, I should like to furnish an overview of the motives which prompted the reform
Geography · Political science · African history and culture analysis · African history and culture studies
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,09 |
| Citation span | 1993 - 2025 (33) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |