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Democratic Transitions in West Africa: Political Elites, Civil Society and Institutions

English title Democratic Transitions in West Africa: Political Elites, Civil Society and Institutions
Applicant Auer Andreas
Number 131306
Funding scheme Resource not found: 'bd31932a-e257-46d9-9dba-079f6f2c77c6'
Research institution Abteilung c2d Zentrum für Demokratie Aarau Universität Zürich
Institution of higher education University of Zurich - ZH
Main discipline Political science
Start/End 01.09.2010 - 30.11.2014
Approved amount 429'012.00
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All Disciplines (2)

Discipline
Political science
Legal sciences

Keywords (5)

democratization; development; civil society; institutions; constitutions

Lay Summary (English)

Lead
Lay summary
This study compares and contrasts six neighbouring West African countries?Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo?that embarked on almost identical trajectories of political reform in the early 1990s, but exhibited sharply divergent characteristics in terms of regime type by the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. The study will focus on three main aspects of political transformation: earlier legacies of colonial rule and authoritarianism that may have cast a shadow over subsequent developments; the dynamics of political change in terms of the individual and collective actors that played a role in the process and the institutions that framed their behaviour; and the informal features of the regimes that help determine the development and diversification of their economies and the distribution of resources. In terms of actors, the focus will be on both political elites and civil society, while institutions will refer both to formal rules, such as constitutions and electoral laws, as well as the informal norms that determine the distribution of power and resources.
Direct link to Lay Summary Last update: 21.02.2013

Responsible applicant and co-applicants

Employees

Project partner

Publications

Publication
ransitions démocratiques en Afrique de l’Ouest: Processus constitutionnels, société civile et institutions démocratiques
Wheatley Jonathan, Loada Augustin (ed.), ransitions démocratiques en Afrique de l’Ouest: Processus constitutionnels, société civile et institutions démocratiques.

Collaboration

Group / person Country
Types of collaboration
NCCR Democracy, University of Zurich Switzerland (Europe)
- in-depth/constructive exchanges on approaches, methods or results

Scientific events

Active participation

Title Type of contribution Title of article or contribution Date Place Persons involved
Seminar on statistics, comparative methods and scientific writing Individual talk Seminar on statistics, comparative methods and scientific writing 26.09.2011 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Auer Andreas;


Self-organised

Title Date Place
Workshop 30.09.2013 Aarau, Switzerland, Burkina Faso
Workshop 07.11.2011 Aarau, Switzerland, Switzerland

Communication with the public

Communication Title Media Place Year
Talks/events/exhibitions Confusions autour de la notion de société civile International 2013

Associated projects

Number Title Start Funding scheme
120040 Constitutional conventions, direct democracy and institutional change 01.07.2008 Project funding (Div. I-III)

Abstract

This study compares and contrasts six neighbouring West African countries?Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo?that embarked on almost identical trajectories of political reform in the early 1990s, but exhibited sharply divergent characteristics in terms of regime type by the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. The study will focus on three main aspects of political transformation: earlier legacies of colonial rule and authoritarianism that may have cast a shadow over subsequent developments; the dynamics of political change in terms of the individual and collective actors that played a role in the process and the institutions that framed their behaviour; and the informal features of the regimes that help determine the development and diversification of their economies and the distribution of resources. In terms of actors, the focus will be on both political elites and civil society, while institutions will refer both to formal rules, such as constitutions and electoral laws, as well as the informal norms that determine the distribution of power and resources.
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