The political economy and paradox of third wave democratization in Africa
Subtitle: the Gambia under the AFPRC-APRC rule, 1994-2008 : a comparative analysis
By: Abdoulaye Saine.
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Lanham
Language: eng
Number of pages: 187
ISBN-13: 9780739129210; 9780739135044
Subjects: Gambia -- Politics and government -- 1965-
Description: "This book is about the dilemma(s) of "third-wave" "democratization" in Africa. It teases out the general proposition that while the market is a necessary ingredient for development, it is not by itself a sufficient condition for prosperity the state's role, policy framework, and leadership also matter. Using a counterexample, the book contends that in a poor governance environment, gross human rights violations result in poor economic performance and failure by repressive governments to provide basic needs for the poor in society. While this study is concerned primarily with The Gambia, it nonetheless has a lot to say about other African countries caught in the paralysis of externally driven political and economic transitions and globalization." "The Paradox of Third-Wave Democratization in Africa is also a comprehensive account of the historical, political, and economic events since the onset of military and quasi-military rule in this West African mini-state of 1.5 million, once the longest surviving functioning democracy in Africa. Predictably, the book is about former President Dawda Jawara as much as it is about soldier-turned-president Yahya Jammeh, who in the last fourteen years has dominated the country's political and economic landscape. The book posits that various attempts to improve living standards of ordinary Gambians and Africans by client regimes using foisted conventional market-driven economic models alone are not likely to succeed until they are predicated on a basic-needs economic strategy and organically spawned political structures." --Book Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Acknowledgements; title: Introduction; title: Theoretical framework; title: The July 1994 coup and the AFPRC Transition Program; title: The 2001 presidential election; title: The national security state; title: Human rights: 1994-2008; title: AFPRC/APRC domestic and foreign economic policies; title: The 2006 presidential election: change or continuity; title: Policy issues; title: Concluding remarks; title: Appendix I; title: Bibliography.