Latest Resources
Checklist: Gender checklist for free and fair election in SA
Africa, Electoral Systems, Governance and Gender, QuestionnaireThis checklist can be used as a diagnostic tool to assess the extent of gender equality in elections including the representation of woman and men in the decision-making process. The checklist is intended for electoral authorities, political parties, election observers, election monitors, gender activist, researcher and others concerned with assessing whether an election is free and fair,...
The Work of Domestic Election Observer Groups Around the World
Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Book, Civil Society, Electoral Systems, Europe and CIS, Latin America and the Carribean, Inter-Governmental Organization, Civil SocietyAuthors/Editors: Paul O’Grady, Rafael Lopez-Pintor, & Mark Stevens Civil society is a vitally important outlet for democratic activity and civil society groups are central partners in the promotion and defence of democratic development – from Latin America to Asia and from Europe to Africa. The aim of this publication is to highlight the work done by domestic election observers around the...
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...
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’...
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 in...
The successful Ghana election of 2008 – a convenient myth? Ethnicity in Ghana’s elections revisited
Africa, Article / Working Paper, Democracy, Electoral Systems, Civil SocietyGhana’s 2008 elections have been hailed by national and international observers as a model for Africa. This perception has prevailed despite persistent concerns about “ethnic block voting” and electoral fraud. Electoral malpractice and vote rigging along ethnic lines in Ghana’s virtual two‐party system could regain decisive importance as a “third...
The power of proximity: strategic decisions in African Party Politics
Africa, Article / Working Paper, Electoral Systems, Political Parties, Civil SocietyThere is increasing availability of survey data which has enabled researchers to rethink and challenge the notion that ethnicity is a main determinant of political party success. The observation that people are more likely to vote regionally than ethnically, has inspired a review of the idea that African voters act parochially rather than tribally. This paper discusses the...
Good governance in Nigeria: a study in political economy and donor support
Africa, Democracy, Electoral Systems, Report, GovernmentThe oil revenues and the ensuing resource curse have also profoundly affected on the political economy of Nigeria, both in economic and political terms. The Nigerian oil income has led to deteriorating social services, increased poverty, military coups and maladministration, and weak institutions. Although a wide range of economic and political reforms have been formulated and implemented...
Inter-party relations and democracy in Botswana
Africa, Democracy, Electoral Systems, Political Parties, Report, Civil SocietyBotswana’s post-independence history has been characterised by rapid economic growth and social change. In the changing political atmosphere the citizens have begun to put pressure on political institutions as well as on the state to create more effective representation and more equitable processes for power distribution. This study examines the changing political situation and...
Zambian citizens, democracy and political participation
Africa, Democracy, Electoral Systems, Report, Civil SocietyThe end of one-party rule in Zambia towards the end of the 1980’s, resulted in Zambians getting an opportunity to monitor the performance of their government on governance issues with a view to helping to shape their own destiny. The holding of multiparty elections in 1991 and the proliferation of political parties underscored their preference for democratic government. This briefing...