1,721,316 research outputs found
G. Carbone, Examen confessariorum, 1921
No full textMartin Victor. G. Carbone, Examen confessariorum, 1921. In: Revue des Sciences Religieuses, tome 3, fascicule 3, 1923. p. 420
Big Shoes to Fill: the ANC and Zuma’s Leadership Deficit
No full textThis introductory chapter guides the reader through South Africa’s major political developments in the post-apartheid era and provides an important overview of the main motives behind the current deterioration of the country’s political and economic situation. Building on an in-depth dissection of the milestones, lights and shadows that have shaped the ANC’s more than two decades of unchallenged dominance, the author stresses how this long “reign” resulted in the party losing touch with the needs and urgency for better distribution of the dividends of democracy and, eventually,
in a broader falling apart of elite consensus in the country. The author also argues that the ascent of a questionable leader like Jacob Zuma to the forefront of South Africa’s – and the ANC’s – political scene has seriously contributed to the rapid jading of the long-term legitimation capital the ANC had gained by guiding the country’s transition to democracy under Mandela, hence opening the way to the increasing success of contenders that are now seriously challenging the ANC’s hegemony
Africa : still rising?
No full textAfter decades of unsatisfying performances, economic growth took off in many sub-Saharan states at the beginning of the 21st century. More recently, however, the end of the commodity cycle – particularly with the oil price drop – and the rise of jihadist violence rocked the “Emerging Africa” boat. Is this the beginning of the end for sustained growth in the region? This Report investigates the economic impact of these new challenges upon Africa’s frontier markets. It shows that the positive economic trajectory of recent years is being negatively affected, particularly for oil-exporting countries. However, while more caution is needed, Africa’s growth prospects on the whole remain fairly good – at least for now. But there is an increasing need to understand the specific risks that individual countries face and the opportunities that they offer, as well as to re-assess the potential of each specific sector of economic activity. The three largest economies in the region – Nigeria, South Africa and Angola – are all under pressure. Others, including Ethiopia, Mozambique and Kenya, are still projected to achieve remarkable growth rates
Leaders for a new Africa? Democrats, autocrats and development
No full textPolitical leadership is a crucial ingredient for development. While the commonly-held image of Africa is still often associated with dictatorships and underdevelopment, the sub-Saharan region has been undergoing important transformations. The political landscape has become increasingly diverse – with young and often precarious democracies alongside new forms of authoritarian rule as well as mixed regimes – and economic trajectories have also become rather differentiated. In a number of African countries, in particular, new national leaders recently raised hopes that fragile processes of political change are underway which will also deliver economic dividends. This volume explores the political leadership-economic development link in the context of Africa’s contemporary scenario. It begins by mapping out the types of power-holders that are found at the helm across the continent on the eve of 2020, with a particular focus on the changing ways in which they reach office (i.e. the ballot box more often than the gun). It then looks, in what largely remains a poor region, at their track records in terms of growth and development achievements: are electoral incentives inducing democratically-voted leaders to perform better than authoritarian office-holders? Or is it the latter rulers that head the region’s fastest-developing economies? Are development achievements related to the capacity of a power-holder to retain office? And what is the role of external actors: do they back Africa’s long-lasting rulers for the sake of stability in a fragile region, or do they prioritize change and support new democratic chief executives? These and other issues are examined in a series of case studies that shed light on the actual extent to which the advent of new leaders – including the likes of Abiy Ahmed in Ethiopia, Cyril Ramaphosa in South Africa and João Lourenço in Angola – is bringing new directions to the politics and development of the countries they rule
A vision of Africa’s future : mapping change, transformations and trajectories towards 2030
No full textAfrica is a fast-changing continent and an area of rising global relevance, where major transformation processes are currently underway, from demographic expansion to economic development, from social progress to environmental challenges, from technological innovation to continental integration, from political change to migratory pressures. How will these complex transformations shape the Africa of tomorrow?
This Report sets out a vision for Africa’s future based on five key traits: an archipelago of heterogeneous growth trajectories; the revolutionary impact of technological leapfrogging; regional integration and the growing role of sub-regional processes; the clustering of instability mainly around the core of the region; and the migration movements that originate from – but also predominantly remain within – the African continent
Democratisation as a State-Building Mechanism : a Preliminary Discussion of an Understudied Relationship
No full textThis review article explores the connection between two key terms in the current international development agenda, namely democratisation and state building. It does so not by looking at the establishment of well-functioning states as a necessary condition for the introduction of democracy, but rather by examining the idea that democratisation may itself play a role in favouring the consolidation of the state. Despite a recent debate on whether democracy or the state comes first, very few empirical studies have addressed the issue of the possible impact of democratic institutions and politics on state development. In the search for additional explanations and empirical evidence concerning this relationship, something more is to be learned as we turn to works that examine the effect of democratic reforms on more specific and partial dimensions, components or indicators of the state, such as violent conflict, corruption or taxation.The inclusion of the latter analyses, however, not only confirms that we still know very little about the democracy–state relationship, thus corroborating the need for new empirical research, but also highlights the conceptual and methodological flaws we must avoid when deciding what notions and measures of state and democracy are most appropriate in tackling this issue
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