Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria: The Rise and Fall of the Second Republic

Shaw, Timothy M.; Joseph, Richard A.

doi:10.2307/3601349

Cited by 18 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…This differs from some leading scholars of ethnic politics in other parts of the world, such as Horowitz (1985), who stress expressive drivers of ethnic politics, asserting that people vote for coethnics because it helps their self-worth, derived from a sense of their group's prestige. In contrast, some of the classic works on ethnic politics in Africa, including those by Bates (1974), Kasfir (1979), Skinner (1975), andJoseph (1987), suggest that groups use ethnicity to advance their material goals. From their perspective, ethnic groups offer efficient vehicles to advance group demands and to help voters access resources.…”

Section: Why Ethnic Politics Are Prevalentmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Despite a quasi-consensus that ethnic mobilization is about competition for material goods, this scholarship is largely agnostic about the specifics of groups' wants. There has been a tendency to believe that all groups want essentially the same thing, namely access to scarce state resources, development, and security (e.g., Melson and Wolpe 1970;Joseph 1987). In contrast, Lieberman and McClendon (2013) suggest that different ethnic groups have distinct priorities and preferences over how resources should be spent.…”

Section: Why Ethnic Politics Are Prevalentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scholar such as Bates (1974), Young (1982), andJoseph (1987) also believe that the use of ethnicity for political competition and material advancement further increases the salience of ethnicity in society. This would explain how ethnic mobilization, once started, would create a vicious cycle that would be long-lasting and hard to break.…”

Section: Effects Of Politicized Ethnicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Africa and Ethnic Politics

Koter

2022

Nationalities Papers

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This article provides an overview of the theoretical and empirical contributions made by scholars of ethnic politics in Africa. I first discuss the definitions and measures of ethnic politics most commonly used. I then review the main explanations of the prevalence of ethnic politics. The following sections discuss the consequences of politicized ethnicity, variation in ethnic politics, and the relationship between ethnicity and other social identities, such as national identity. I conclude with some remarks about existing gaps and promising future avenues of research.

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Section: Why Ethnic Politics Are Prevalentmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Why Ethnic Politics Are Prevalentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of Politicized Ethnicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Africa and Ethnic Politics

Koter

2022

Nationalities Papers

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“…5 For an account of such institutional problems, see Abdul Raufu Mustapha (2009). 6 On how ethnically-competitive and regionally-motivated politics encouraged disruptive sectional identities in this period, see Richard Joseph (1987). In particular, Chapter 4: Politics in a Multi-ethnic Society.…”

Section: Endnotesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Federalism and development in Nigeria

Arowosegbe

2023

Studies Ethnicity & National

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The federal solution has been widely discussed in relation to political systems where the articulation of major cleavages, differences, and pluralities threatens political integration and stability. The relationship between conflict, development, and federalism, however, has been poorly accounted for in the literature on federalism. Existing theories about the utilitarian value of federalism thus face serious challenges, especially with respect to post‐colonial Africa. The relationship between conflict, economic development, and federalism in the African context needs to be carefully examined from the perspective of governance, as well as the impact they have on society‐state relations. This article discusses the impact of ethno‐linguistic, ethno‐regional, and ethno‐religious conflicts on economic development in Nigeria – informed by the inequalities, insecurity, and poverty prevalent in the country – and examines the relevance of the federal solution for mitigating such centrifugal pressures as well as other divisive and violent tendencies.

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“…Underscoring the links between these international dynamics and the legal strategies discussed in Chapter 3, the political economy analyses of postcolonial rule in Africa up until the late 1980s emphasized that the legal command of African states persisted thanks to the resources that came with international recognition, even as the state's capacity to provide security, order, and public services weakened as a result of economic collapse. State offices can be understood as "prebends" (Joseph, 1987), meant for extracting resources from others that were secured by sovereignty-supported legal command. The sovereign monopoly of the state, conferred rather than earned, trumped ¹ In addition, Articles II and III of the Charter stated that one of the key purposes of the organization is to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence (Article II, c).…”

Section: Sovereignty and Extraversion: Converting International Weakn...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Democratic Backsliding in Africa?

2022

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Why have most African countries not achieved greater political liberalization? What explains the lack of progress toward the ideals of liberal democracy across the region? This book advances ongoing debates on democratic backsliding with specific reference to Africa. In examining how incumbent leaders in African countries attempt to contain societal pressures for greater democracy, the chapters explain how governments go beyond the standard tools of manipulation, such as electoral fraud and political violence, to keep democracy from unfolding in their countries. The book emphasizes two distinct strategies that governments frequently use to reinforce their hold on power, but which remain overlooked in conventional analyses; —the legal system and the international system. It—documents how governments employ the law to limit the scope of action among citizens and civil society activists struggling to expand democratic liberties, including the use of constitutional provisions and the courts. The work further demonstrates how governments use their role in international relations to neutralize pressure from external actors, including sovereigntist claims against foreign intervention and selective implementation of donor-promoted policies. While pro-democracy actors can also employ these legal and international strategies to challenge incumbents, in some cases to prevent democratic backsliding, the book shows why and how incumbents have enjoyed institutional advantages when implementing these strategies through the six country case studies of Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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Democracy and Prebendal Politics in Nigeria: The Rise and Fall of the Second Republic

Cited by 18 publications

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Africa and Ethnic Politics

Africa and Ethnic Politics

Federalism and development in Nigeria

Democratic Backsliding in Africa?

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