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Questionnaire: Democracy and Political Participation
Africa, Civil Society, Local Governance and Decentralization, Political Parties, Questionnaire , Civil SocietyThis open ended questionnaire is designed to feed into reports on government performance in the area of political participation. It is designed to evaluate states’ respect for the standards adopted by the African Union (AU) in relation to democratic principles and popular participation in government. Areas covered in the questionnaire includes the following: Constitutional Framework...
Cultura política de la democracia en Ecuador, 2010: Consolidación democrática en las Américas en tiempos difíciles
Democracy, Latin America and the Carribean, Parliament, Political Parties, Report, Academic/Think TankEste estudio representa la contribución más reciente de la serie de encuestas del Barómetro de las Américas, una de las diversas actividades del Proyecto de Opinión Pública de América Latina (LAPOP), las cuales se han diversificado y ampliado en años recientes. El estudio de 2010 es el más extenso realizado hasta el momento,...
Internal Party Integrity Management in South Africa
Africa, Democracy, Political Parties, Report, Civil SocietyIt is the view of this report that, as the primary vehicle of democratic representation in South Africa, political parties should in their organisation, management and conduct aim to reflect inter alia the Constitutional values of transparency and accountability. It claims that South African political parties’ internal governance is virtually unregulated except in terms...
Democratic Republic of Congo Democracy and political participation: An assessment of the first steps into the 3rd Republic
Africa, Democracy, Electoral Systems, Political Parties, Report, Civil SocietyAs the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) prepares to go to the polls in 2011, for only the second time in more than forty years, this report, focusing on the country’s democratic credentials states that Executive power is rapidly being consolidated, to the detriment of other governance institutions. This is threatening credible participation of the Congolese citizens in the...
GNU Watch - A Year in Review
Africa, Parliament, Political Parties, Report, Civil SocietyThe Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The sections profiled in monthly outputs may vary depending on events and issues raised in that particular report. Where possible, the relevant article as stipulated in the GPA has been provided. As this documentation began in April, there may at...
World Investment and Political Risk 2009
Civil Society, Political Parties, Report, Inter-Governmental OrganizationPolitical risk is a top concern for corporate foreign investors — from industrialized but also developing countries — when venturing into emerging markets. At the same time, these investors maintain a positive outlook on economic and business prospects in the developing world, which is expected to attract a growing share of global foreign direct investment (FDI) as the world...
Positioning civil society post-Polokwane: coming to terms with ANC political leadership changes
Africa, Article / Working Paper, Political Parties, Civil SocietyIn 2007 South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC) was overhauled in what was seen as a revolt against the leadership of former Party President Thabo Mbeki. The party’s elective national conference was held in Polokwane and led to significant changes in its top political leadership with Jacob Zuma replacing Thabo Mbeki as Party President...
Are swing voters instruments of democracy or farmers of clientelism? Evidence from Ghana
Africa, Article / Working Paper, Democracy, Electoral Systems, Political Parties, Academic/Think TankThis paper states that is one of the first to systematically address the question of whether strength of ethnic identity, political parties’ campaigns, poverty, or evaluation of clientelism versus collective/public goods, determines who becomes a persuadable voter in Africa. The paper conducts an empirical analysis using a unique data set from a survey conducted ahead of Ghana’...
Understanding populism and political participation: the case of Venezuela
Democracy, Latin America and the Carribean, Political Parties, Report, Civil SocietySince the onset of oil exploitation, the Venezuelan state has had enviable financial resources. Yet, effective policy implementation continues to be difficult. Corruption and inefficiency have been constants throughout Venezuela’s democratic period. This paper examines new forms of political participation and state-civil society interaction in Venezuela. Findings include:...
Elections and accountability in South Africa
Africa, Electoral Systems, Political Parties, Report, Civil SocietyAllowing citizens to decide whether or not to extend a government’s tenure through regular elections is the principal mechanism of political accountability. It compels politicians to be more responsive to the electorate’s needs. Citizens use their vote to choose better governments and to structure incentives for the incumbents that should induce them to behave while...