The Truth About Africa's Coups

Bibliographic Data

ID6286656
AuthorsKen Ochieng’ Opalo (0000-0002-8317-0317, corresponding author), Ken Ochieng''Opalo, Ken Ochieng'Opalo, Ken Ochieng' Opalo
Year2024
Volume35
Issue2
Pages93-107
Publication date2024-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of democracy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-5736 • E-ISSN: 1086-3214
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/jod.2024.a922836
OpenAlexW4393105587
LanguageEN
Citations received9

The recent coups in Africa do not portend a return to praetorian politics in the region. They are the outcomes of country-specific historical processes associated with the underdevelopment of state capacity, the decay of political institutions, and the failures of electoral politics to improve citizens' material conditions. At the same time, the coups are an important warning regarding the state of democracy in Africa. Surveys show that majorities of Africans harbor both a deep dissatisfaction with democracy and an openness to military interventions to address civilian political dysfunction. While coup contagion is a remote possibility due to strong norms against military rule in much of the region, popular dissatisfaction with democracy and permissiveness towards military interventions in politics present a real risk of autocratization through elections

Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Openness to experience · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Psychological intervention · Sociology · State (computer science · Underdevelopment · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOI