Discuss any similarities between the key features of the fourth Many African countries, Ghana and Uganda, for example, have, like all other states, formal institutions of the state and informal institutions (societal norms, customs, and practices). After examining the history, challenges, and opportunities for the institution of traditional leadership within a modern democracy, the chapter considers the effect of the current constitutional guarantee for chieftaincy and evaluates its practical workability and structural efficiency under the current governance system. If inclusion is the central ingredient, it will be necessary to explore in greater depth the resources leaders have available to pay for including various social groups and demographic cohorts. There was a lot of consultation between the elders before any major decision was made. West Africa has a long and complex history. Based on existing evidence, the authority systems in postcolonial Africa lie in a continuum between two polar points.
Public Administration and Traditional Administrative System in Africa Still another form of legitimacy in Africa sometimes derives from traditional political systems based on some form of kingship. In addition, resolution needs to be acceptable to all parties. THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN CUSTOMARY LAW, Fenrich, Galizzi, Higgins, eds., Cambridge University Press, 2011, Available at SSRN: If you need immediate assistance, call 877-SSRNHelp (877 777 6435) in the United States, or +1 212 448 2500 outside of the United States, 8:30AM to 6:00PM U.S. Eastern, Monday - Friday. You cant impose middle class values on a pre-industrial society.13. Chiefs such as those of the Nuer and Dinka are examples of this category.
Traditional Political Ideas, Values, and Practices: Their Status in the The optimistic replyand it is a powerful oneis that Africans will gradually build inclusive political and economic institutions.18 This, however, requires wise leadership. These communities select the Aba Gada, who serves a nonrenewable term of 8 years as leader. The result is transitory resilience of the regime, but shaky political stability, declining cohesion, and eventual conflict or violent change. Most of the states that had attempted to abolish chieftaincy have retracted the abolitionist decrees and reinstated chiefs. The imperative for inclusion raises many questions: should the priority be to achieve inclusion of diverse elites, of ethnic and confessional constituencies, of a sample of grass roots opinion leaders? The Aqils (elders) of Somalia and the chiefs in Kenya are good examples. In traditional African communities, it was not possible to distinguish between religious and non-religious areas of life. One influential research group, SIPRI in Sweden, counted a total of 9 active armed conflicts in 2017 (in all of Africa) plus another 7 post-conflict and potential conflict situations.3, More revealing is the granular comparison of conflict types over time.
African Traditional Political Systems and Intitutions - Academia.edu Most African countries have yet to develop carefully considered strategies of how to reconcile their fragmented institutional systems. Throughout our over one-hundred-year history, our work has directly led to policies that have produced greater freedom, democracy, and opportunity in the United States and the world. Invented chiefs and state-paid elders: These were chiefs imposed by the colonial state on decentralized communities without centralized authority systems. A second conflict pattern can develop along the lines of ethnic cleavages which can be readily politicized and then militarized into outright ethnic violence. Learn more about joining the community of supporters and scholars working together to advance Hoovers mission and values. Towards a Definition of Government 1.3. The introduction of alien economic and political systems by the colonial state relegated Africas precolonial formal institutions to the sphere of informality, although they continued to operate in modified forms, in part due to the indirect rule system of colonialism and other forms of reliance by colonial states on African institutions of governance to govern their colonies. There is one constitution and one set of laws and rules for ordinary people, and quite other for the ruling family and the politically connected elite. The first type is rights-based legitimacy deriving from rule of law, periodic elections, and alternation of political power, the kind generally supported by western and some African governments such as Ghana and Senegal. Highlight 5 features of government. In the past decade, traditional security systems utilized in commercial or government facilities have consisted of a few basic elements: a well-trained personnel, a CCTV system, and some kind of access control system. In these relatively new nations, the critical task for leadership is to build a social contract that is sufficiently inclusive to permit the management of diversity. Political and economic inclusion is the companion requirement for effective and legitimate governance. These include - murder, burglary, landcase, witchcraft, profaning the deities and homicide. . It may be useful to recall that historical kingships or dynasties were the common form of rule in Europe, India, China until modern times, and still is the predominant form of rule on the Arabian Peninsula. (2005), customary systems operating outside of the state regime are often the dominant form of regulation and dispute resolution, covering up to 90% of the population in parts of Africa.
Consequently, national and regional governance factors interact continuously. Paramount chieftaincy is a traditional system of local government and an integral element of governance in some African countries such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia and Ivory Coast. The kings and chiefs of Angola and Asante, for example, allowed European merchants to send their representatives to their courts. Key Takeaways. In Igbo land for example the system of government was quite unique and transcends the democracy of America and Europe. Roughly 80% of rural populations in selected research sites in Ethiopia, for example, say that they rely on traditional institutions to settle disputes, while the figure is around 65% in research sites in Kenya (Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). Authority in this system was shared or distributed to more people within the community. Democratic and dictatorial regimes both vest their authority in one person or a few individuals. Traditional institutions have continued to metamorphose under the postcolonial state, as Africas socioeconomic systems continue to evolve. Your gift helps advance ideas that promote a free society.
State Systems in Pre-colonial, Colonial and Post-colonial - Jstor It is too soon to tell whether such institutions can evolve in modern Africa as a result of gradual tinkering with reformist agendas, as the legacy of wise leaders; or whether they will only happen as a result of fundamental tests of strength between social and political groups. Many other countries have non-centralized elder-based traditional institutions. It is imperative that customary land rights are recognized and respected so that communities in the traditional economic system exercise control of land and other resources under their customary ownership, at least until alternative sources of employment are developed to absorb those who might be displaced. Land privatization is, thus, unworkable in pastoral communities, as communal land ownership would be unworkable in a capitalist economy. Tribe Versus Ethnic Group. Communities like the Abagusii, Ameru, Akamba, Mijikenda, and Agikuyu in Kenya had this system of government. A look at the economic systems of the adherents of the two institutional systems also gives a good indication of the relations between economic and institutional systems. not because of, the unique features of US democracy . 20 A brief account of that history will help to highlight key continuities spanning the colonial, apartheid and the post-apartheid eras in relation to the place of customary law and the role of traditional leaders. In the postcolonial era, their roles changed again. Allocation of resources, such as land, is also much more egalitarian under the traditional system than it is under the private ownership system in the formal state system. A partial explanation as to why the traditional systems endure was given in the section Why African Traditional Institutions Endure. The argument in that section was that they endure primarily because they are compatible with traditional economic systems, under which large segments of the African population still operate. This can happen in several ways. In light of this discussion of types of inclusion, the implications for dealing with state fragility and building greater resilience can now be spelled out. Long-standing kingdoms such as those in Morocco and Swaziland are recognized national states. This short article does not attempt to provide answers to all these questions, which require extensive empirical study. Some African nations are prosperous while others struggle. It is also highly unlikely that such broader aspects of traditional institutions can be eliminated without transforming the traditional modes of production that foster them.
PDF African Traditional Justice Systems Francis Kariuki* 1.1 Introduction Afrocentrism | Definition, Examples, History, Beliefs, & Facts Legitimate authority, in turn, is based on accepted laws and norms rather than the arbitrary, unconstrained power of the rulers. Ideally, African nations will benefit when civil society respects the states role (as well as the other way around); rather than one-sided advocacy, both sides should strive to create a space for debate in order to legitimize tolerance of multiple views in society. On the one side, there are the centralized systems where leaders command near absolute power. Traditional affairs. The opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. In any case, as . What policies and laws will determine relations between farmers and urban dwellers, between farmers and herders, between diverse identity groups living in close proximity or encroaching on each others farm land, and between public officials, criminal networks and ordinary citizens? The long-term, global pushback by the leading authoritarian powers against liberal governance norms has consequences in Africa and other regions as governments directly act to close the space for civil society to operate. There were several reasons for such measures. A second attribute is the participatory decision-making system. Another layer represents the societal norms and customs that differ along various cultural traits. Security challenges can impose tough choices on governments that may act in ways that compound the problem, opening the door to heightened risks of corruption and the slippery slope of working with criminal entities. Suggested Citation, 33 West 60th StreetNew York, NY 10023United States, Public International Law: Sources eJournal, Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic, Political Institutions: Parties, Interest Groups & Other Political Organizations eJournal, Political Institutions: Legislatures eJournal, We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. Africas economic systems range from a modestly advanced capitalist system, symbolized by modern banking and stock markets, to traditional economic systems, represented by subsistent peasant and pastoral systems.
eLimu | Political developments and systems Integration of traditional and modern governance systems in Africa. Its ability to influence policy is limited in large part because of its institutional detachment from the state and because of its poverty and lack of capacity to participate in the political process. As institutional scholars state, institutional incompatibility leads to societal conflicts by projecting different laws governing societal interactions (Eisenstadt, 1968; Helmke & Levitsky, 2004; March & Olsen, 1984; North, 1990; Olsen, 2007). Ousted royals such as Haile Selassie (Ethiopia) and King Idriss (Libya) may be replaced by self-anointed secular rulers who behave as if they were kings until they, in turn, get overthrown. Despite apparent differences, the strategies of the three countries have some common features as well that may inform other counties about the measures institutional reconciliation may entail.
What Is a Command Economy? - The Balance Under the circumstances, it becomes critical that traditional leaders are directly involved in local governance so that they protect the interests of their communities. Understanding the Gadaa System. Admittedly, the problem is by no means uniquely African, but it is very commonly experienced in Africa. Since institutional fragmentation is a major obstacle to nation-building and democratization, it is imperative that African countries address it and forge institutional harmony. Today, the five most common government systems include democracy, republic, monarchy, communism and . Often women are excluded from participation in decision making, especially in patrilineal social systems.
Editorial Citizenship and Accountability: Customary Law and Traditional African political elites are more determined than ever to shape their own destiny, and they are doing so.
African Politics: A Very Short Introduction | Oxford Academic There are also various arguments in the literature against traditional institutions.2 One argument is that chieftaincy impedes the pace of development as it reduces the relevance of the state in the area of social services (Tom Mboya in Osaghae, 1989). The Dutch dispatched an embassy to the Asantehene's . The movement towards a formal state system is characterized by its emphasis on retribution and punishment. This page was processed by aws-apollo-l2 in 0.093 seconds, Using these links will ensure access to this page indefinitely. In some societies, traditional, tribal authorities may offer informed and genuinely accepted governance, provided that they are not merely government appointees pursuing decentralized self-enrichment. In the centralized systems also, traditional leaders of various titles were reduced to chiefs and the colonial state modified notably the relations between the chiefs and their communities by making the chiefs accountable to the colonial state rather than to their communities (Coplan & Quinlan, 1997).
Indigenous African Education - 2392 Words | Studymode Transforming the traditional economic system is also likely to require embracing and utilizing the traditional institutional systems as vehicles for the provision of public services. Maintenance of law and order: the primary and most important function of the government is to maintain law and order in a state. But established and recognized forms of inherited rule cannot be lightly dismissed as un-modern, especially when linked to the identity of an ethnic or tribal group, and could be construed as a building block of legitimacy. 3. 20-27, at p. 21; Carey N. Vicenti 'The re-emergence of tribal society and traditional justice systems' Judicature, Vol. Another reason is that African leaders of the postcolonial state, who wanted to consolidate their power, did not want other points of power that would compromise their control. However, almost invariably the same functions, whether or not formally defined and characterized in the same terms or exercised in the same manner, are also performed by traditional institutions and their leaders. Against this backdrop, where is African governance headed? A Functional Approach to define Government 2. If African political elite opinion converges with that of major external voices in favoring stabilization over liberal peacebuilding agendas, the implications for governance are fairly clear.17. When a seemingly brittle regime reaches the end of its life, it becomes clear that the state-society gap is really a regime-society gap; the state withers and its institutions become hollow shells that serve mainly to extract rents. Problems and Purpose. The post-colonial State, on the other hand . 7. A second objective is to draw a tentative typology of the different authority systems of Africas traditional institutions.
Democracy and Consensus in African Traditional Politics: a Plea - Jstor In general, decentralized political systems, which are often elder-based with group leadership, have received little attention, even though these systems are widespread and have the institutions of judicial systems and mechanisms of conflict resolution and allocation of resources, like the institutions of the centralized systems.
African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications Not surprisingly, incumbent leaders facing these challenges look to short-term military remedies and extend a welcome to military partnerswith France, the United States, and the United Nations the leading candidates. Examine the definitions, strengths, and weaknesses of several common governments: monarchy, theocracy . On the other hand, weak or destructive governance is sometimes the source of conflicts in the first place. Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. African governance trends were transformed by the geopolitical changes that came with the end of the Cold War. One layer represents the formal institutions (laws) of the state. Why traditional institutional systems endure, how large the adherents to them is, and why populations, especially in rural areas, continue to rely on traditional institutions, even when an alternative system is provided by the state, and what the implications of institutional dichotomy is are questions that have not yet received adequate attention in the literature. These consisted of monarchy, aristocracy and polity.
Types of Government in Africa - Synonym The pre-colonial system in Yoruba can be described to be democratic because of the inclusion of the principle of checks and balances that had been introduced in the system of administration. Printed from Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Politics.
African Politics - Political Science - iResearchNet Traditional African Religions - The Spiritual Life Ancient West Africa: Bantu Migrations & the Stateless Society The origins of this institutional duality, the implications of which are discussed in Relevance and Paradox of Traditional Institutions, are largely traceable to the colonial state, as it introduced new economic and political systems and superimposed corresponding institutional systems upon the colonies without eradicating the existed traditional economic, political, and institutional systems. This we might call transformative resilience.21. However, the traditional modes of production and the institutional systems associated with them also remain entrenched among large segments of the population. South Africa has a mixed economy in which there is a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic . Government and Political Systems. The end of colonialism, however, did not end institutional dichotomy, despite attempts by some postcolonial African states to abolish the traditional system, especially the chieftaincy-based authority systems. In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who possesses a repository of oral tradition passed down from generation to generation. The challenge facing Africas leadersperhaps above all othersis how to govern under conditions of ethnic diversity. This provides wide opportunity for governments to experiment, to chart a course independent of Western preferences, but it can also encourage them to move toward authoritarian, state capitalist policies when that is the necessary or the expedient thing to do. Traditional institutions already adjudicate undisclosed but large proportions of rural disputes. For these and other reasons, the state-society gap lies at the heart of the problems faced by many states. Legitimacy based on successful predation and state capture was well known to the Plantagenets and Tudors as well as the Hapsburgs, Medicis, and Romanovs, to say nothing of the Mughal descendants of Genghis Khan.14 In this fifth model of imagined legitimacy, some African leaders operate essentially on patrimonial principles that Vladimir Putin can easily recognize (the Dos Santos era in Angola, the DRC under Mobutu and Kabila, the Eyadema, Bongo, Biya, and Obiang regimes in Togo, Gabon, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea, respectively).15 Such regimes may seek to perpetuate themselves by positioning wives or sons to inherit power. Another basic question is, whom to include? In Botswana, for example, the consensual decision-making process in the kgotla (public meeting) regulates the power of the chiefs. Another issue that needs some clarification is the neglect by the literature of the traditional institutions of the political systems without centralized authority structures. Some of these conflicts are, in reality, low-tech, sporadic skirmishes and armed attacks. Such post-electoral pacts reflect the conclusion that stability is more important than democracy.
Module Ten, Activity Two - Exploring Africa The leaders, their families and allies are exempt. Three layers of institutions characterize most African countries. Hoover scholars form the Institutions core and create breakthrough ideas aligned with our mission and ideals. This study notes that in 2007 Africa saw 12 conflicts in 10 countries. Africa's tumultuous political history has resulted in extreme disparities between the wealth and stability of its countries.
African Style Democracy? - Public Seminar Despite the adoption of constitutional term limits in many African countries during the 1990s, such restrictions have been reversed or defied in at least 15 countries since 2000, according to a recent report.6, The conflict-governance link takes various forms, and it points to the centrality of the variable of leadership. In addition, they have traditional institutions of governance of various national entities, including those surrounding the Asantehene of the Ashanti in Ghana and the Kabaka of the Buganda in Uganda. The key . These features include nonprofits, non-profits and hybrid entities are now provide goods and services that were once delivered by the government. It considers the nature of the state in sub-Saharan Africa and why its state structures are generally weaker than elsewhere in the world. The first objective of the article is to shed light on the socioeconomic foundations for the resilience of Africas traditional institutions. Almost at a stroke, the relationships between African governments and the major powers and major sources of concessional finance were upended, while political liberalization in the former Soviet bloc helped to trigger global political shock waves. The three countries have pursued rather different strategies of reconciling their institutional systems and it remains to be seen if any of their strategies will deliver the expected results, although all three countries have already registered some progress in reducing conflicts and in advancing the democratization process relative to countries around them. On the other hand, their endurance creates institutional fragmentation that has adverse impacts on Africas governance and socioeconomic transformation. Others choose the traditional institutions, for example, in settling disputes because of lower transactional costs. Government: A Multifarious Concept 1.2. "Law" in traditional Africa includes enforceable traditions, customs, and laws. The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (Alkire, Chatterjee, Conconi, Seth, & Vaz, 2014) estimates that the share of rural poverty to total poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is about 73.8%.