150 years of data proves autocrats are bad for the economy
Deference to autocratic rulers is not only a bad idea for democracy: It’s terrible for the economy, too, according to a new analysis. The authors of the study published in… Read more »
Category: Africa
‘Strong NGOs and Weak States’ – prioritize democracy over development?
By now it’s no secret: Democracy is under attack worldwide, notes Jeffrey Smith, the founding director of Vanguard Africa and the Vanguard Africa Foundation, which support pro-democracy initiatives and free and… Read more »
How to take authoritarian anti-corruption seriously
Life for Isabel dos Santos appears to be an endless round of international conferences, meetings with celebrities and the run-of-the-mill experiences of the average billionaire philanthropist, although critics claim that she… Read more »
The biggest impediment to democratic governance is……?
Erosion in public confidence in the media could embolden African leaders with autocratic tendencies, says Jeff Conroy-Krutz, Associate Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. It could also provoke violence… Read more »
Will Ethiopia’s liberalization lead to democratization?
Rising ethnic tensions threaten to undermine the prospects of democratization in Ethiopia, say Freedom House analysts Jon Temin and Yoseph Badwaza. Managing expectations, maintaining stability, and initiating a pluralist order… Read more »
Why elections are not necessarily democratizing
In Malawi’s presidential election in May, incumbent President Peter Mutharika narrowly won reelection. February’s Senegalese election was quite different, with incumbent Macky Sall easily claiming victory. Although Malawians continue to… Read more »
Do women human rights defenders hold the key to a democratic Sudan?
Since the successful removal of former president Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s struggle for civilian rule has the world holding its breath, writes Julie Snyder, an adjunct fellow with the Human Rights… Read more »
Dictators are ascendant. But democracy is still in demand.
Recent protests – from Hong Kong and Sudan to Central and Eastern Europe – demonstrate that large numbers of people around the world still want democracy enough to take to… Read more »
Africa’s ‘backsliding’ qualified by democratic resilience
Three decades after sub-Saharan Africa joined the “third wave,” democracy’s ability to endure has been established in many countries, but its quality remains a grave concern, notes Peter M. Lewis,… Read more »
Can civil society help ‘re-wire politics to Africa’s advantage’?
The European Union this week announced a Call for Proposals to Support Civil Society Initiatives to Promote Democracy and Human Rights in Equatorial Guinea. How timely. The authorities in Equatorial Guinea should immediately… Read more »