Constraining Government Power in Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6287432 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Migai Akech (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 96-106 |
| Publication date | 2011-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of democracy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1045-5736 • E-ISSN: 1086-3214 |
| Publisher | Project MUSE (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1353/jod.2011.a412896 |
| OpenAlex | W3121873099 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
This article argues that formal institutions have always mattered in African politics. It contends that because the legal-rational domain in Africa is characterized by broad swaths of discretionary power, law is an important instrument in political contests. These broad grants of formal power facilitate informal and unaccountable governance. The article calls upon students of African politics to pay closer attention to the nature and use of formal law, and legal processes, in African politics. Further, it sees a need for empirical studies of the interplay between formal and informal institutions in African politics. It suggests that there is a need to democratize legal processes with a view to empowering the citizenry to participate effectively in, and hold to account, the use of law in political contests. This task of democratization, the article suggests, can be facilitated by administrative-law reforms
Corporate governance · Democracy · Democratization · Economics · Government (linguistics · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Rule of law · Sociology · Human Rights and Development · Law · Legal Issues in South Africa · Public Administration
Democratic Backsliding in Africa?
Managing with escapes – human rights and the practical norms of prison governance in Uganda
Globalization, the Rule of (Administrative) Law, and the Realization of Democratic Governance in Africa
Political Corruption in Africa
Law-abiders, lame ducks, and over-stayers
The politics of litigating and adjudicating electoral disputes
Political Stability and Peace through Party Engineering
Personal rule, neopatrimonialism, and regime typologies
Autocratisation by Term Limits Manipulation in Sub-Saharan Africa
Presidential Term Limits and Regime Types
The Institutionalisation of Power Revisited
| Unique citing works | 11 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,73 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2025 (15) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |