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on Africa |
| By: | Mohammed Isah Shehu (The Federal Polytechnic, PMB 0231, Bauchi, Bauchi State – Nigeria) |
| Abstract: | Manipulation of religion, ethnicity, politics and consequential conflicts in African states have at the recent times increased heat in African states polities and further painted the continent so black that the unpopular claim that Africa is the dark continent seems to by characteristics, assume the truth path. Manipulation of ethno-religious and political activities and attendant conflicts have rendered people across the length and breadth of Africa unsecured, migrants, hostile, inaccessible jungles and the peoples rendered homeless, powerless, confused and many turned refugees in their fatherlands. This paper explores the ethno-political, religious manipulation and resultant conflicts among African states. The paper used secondary sources of data and the following were found among others: ethno-religious affiliation is a common feature of typical African states/societies and all issues related to same are very sensitive to Africans; African leaders use the instruments of ethnic and religious differences to achieve political ends; failure of the African states and the leadership to appropriately discharge their obligations has largely contributed to the increased manipulation of religion and ethnicity among African states for it is an easy means of appeal to political support; many have been lured into religious politicking; misuse of religion by politicians has led to excessive ethno-religious and sectional divisions and lack of trust of one another among the various religions and their adherents; use and misuse of religion has heated the polity and electoral matters; youth are the most vulnerable group used in igniting and fuelling such conflicts while women and children fall as the major victims, most political activities are greatly determined and influenced by ethnicity and religion which in the end often result in dysfunctional conflicts in virtually all parts of Africa. Recommendations made include: extensive civic and political education, proper control of religious preaching and other activities, proper regulation of campaigns/political activities, institutionalization and inculcation of national values and integration, de-emphasizing ethno-tribal and religious differences, entrenchment of democracy and good governance, drastic reduction in levels of poverty and more emphasis on provision of social services and amenities to the people, enactment of popularly accepted and just land tenure system among African communities, use of improved and mechanized farming methods and proper orientation by both the African states and societies to the youth. |
| Keywords: | Africa, Conflicts, Ethnicity, Manipulation, Politics and Religion. |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:2604125&r=afr |
| By: | Dreher, Axel; Fuchs, Andreas; Hodler, Roland; Parks, Bradley C.; Raschky, Paul A.; Tierney, Michael J. |
| Abstract: | This article investigates whether China's foreign aid is particularly prone to political capture by political leaders of aid-receiving countries. Specifically, we examine whether more Chinese aid is allocated to the political leaders' birth regions and regions populated by the ethnic group to which the leader belongs, controlling for indicators of need and various fixed effects. We have collected data on 117 African leaders' birthplaces and ethnic groups and geocoded 1,650 Chinese development finance projects across 3,097 physical locations committed to Africa over the 2000-2012 period. Our econometric results show that current political leaders' birth regions receive substantially larger financial flows from China than other regions. On the contrary, when we replicate the analysis for the World Bank, our regressions with region-fixed effects show no evidence of such favoritism. For Chinese and World Bank aid alike, we also find no evidence that African leaders direct more aid to areas populated by groups who share their ethnicity, when controlling for region-fixed effects. |
| Keywords: | Africa; aid allocation; China; favoritism; foreign aid; georeferenced data; official development assistance; spatial analysis |
| JEL: | D73 F35 P33 R11 |
| Date: | 2015–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:10704&r=afr |
| By: | Mvukiyehe,Eric; Samii,Cyrus Dara |
| Abstract: | A field experiment in rural Liberia is used to study democratic participation in fragile states. Fragile states are marked by political fragmentation, local patronage systems, and voter vulnerability. To understand the effects of such conditions on democratic expression through elections, the experiment introduced new forms of interaction between rural citizens and third-party actors: (i) civic education and town hall workshops directed by non-governmental organizations in communities over nine months and (ii) security committees that brought rural community representatives into monthly exchange with United Nations peacekeepers. Civic education workshops increased enthusiasm for electoral participation, produced a coordinated shift from parochial to national candidates, and increased willingness to report on manipulation. A program combining the two interactions had similar effects. The security committees had negligible effects. Barriers to political information and voter coordination appear to be important but resolvable problems for elections in fragile states. |
| Date: | 2015–07–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:7370&r=afr |
| By: | World Bank |
| Keywords: | Oil Refining Gas Industry Energy - Energy and Environment Economic Theory Research Energy - Energy Production and Transportation Environment - Environment and Energy Efficiency Industry Macroeconomics and Economic Growth |
| Date: | 2015–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:21916&r=afr |
| By: | Alicia Hammond; Inka Schomer; Alassane Ngom; Awa Seck; Vanessa Lopes Janik |
| Keywords: | Gender - Gender and Development Housing Human Habitats Gender - Gender and Health Gender - Gender and Law Communities and Human Settlements Energy - Rural Energy Gender - Gender and Energy Rural Development - Rural Development Knowledge & Information Systems |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:22111&r=afr |
| By: | Kristen Himelein; Mauro Testaverde; Abubakarr Turay; Samuel Turay |
| Keywords: | Communities and Human Settlements - Housing & Human Habitats Industry - Food & Beverage Industry Private Sector Development - E-Business Social Protections and Labor - Labor Markets Social Protections and Labor - Labor Policies Health, Nutrition and Population - Communicable Diseases Health, Nutrition and Population - Health and Poverty Poverty Reduction - Poverty and Health |
| Date: | 2015–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:22037&r=afr |