Suchergebnisse

Reforming the African Public Sector: Retrospect and Prospects is an in-depth and wide-ranging review of the available literature on African public sector reforms. It illustrates several differing country experiences to buttress the main observations and conclusions. It adopts a structural/institutional approach which underpins most of the reform efforts on the continent. To contextualize reform of the public sector and understand its processes, dynamics and intricacies, the book examines the state and state capacity building in Africa, especially when there can be no state without an efficient public sector. In addition, the book addresses a number of theories such as the new institutional economics, public choice and new public management, which have in one way or another influenced most of the initiatives implemented under public sector reform in Africa. There is also a survey of the three phases of public sector reform which have emerged and the balance sheet of reform strategies, namely, decentralization, privatization, deregulation, agencification, co-production and public-private partnerships. It concludes by identifying possible alternative approaches such as developing a vigorous public sector ethos and sustained capacity building to promote and enhance the renewal and reconstruction of the African public sector within the context of the New Partnerships for Africa's Development (NEPAD), good governance and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

At the 11th General Assembly of CODESRIA, which was held in Maputo in December 2005, Adame Ba Konar ̌presented the Leopold Sedar Senghor Lecture, casting her historian eye on democracy and its values. Konar ̌calls for the enshrinement of democracy in Africa, where citizens are free to participate responsibly in decision-making on matters of common interest, and in ways that simply do not mimic externally induced notions or reflect unquestioningly the will of Heads of State.

Predicament and response: an introduction / BjöRn Beckman and Gbemisola Adeoti -- Part 1. Intellectuals, writers and soldiers -- Chapter 1. Psychopaths in power: the collapse of the African dream in A Play of Giants / Olusegun, Adekoya -- Chapter 2. Re-establishing the basis of social order in Africa: a reflection on Achebe's reformist agenda and Ngugi's Marxist aesthetics / M. S. C. Okolo -- Chapter 3. Narrating the green gods: the (auto) biographies of Nigerian military rulers / Gbemisola Adeoti -- Part 2. Students, youths and people -- Chapter 4. Ambiguous transitions: mediating citizenship among youth in Cameroon / Jude Fokwang -- Chapter 5. Student radicalism and the national project: the Nigerian student movement / Björn Beckman -- Chapter 6. Transnational governance and the pacification of youth: civic education and disempowerment in Malawi / Harri Englund -- Chapter 7. Identity and knowledge production in the fourth generation / Nana Akua Anyidoho -- Contributors -- Index.

Although gender and non-gender scholars have studied men, such an academic exercise requires a critical and focused study of masculine subjects in particular social contexts, which is what this book attempts to do. This empirically rich collection of essays, the seventh of the CODESRIA Gender Series, deals with critical examinations of various shades and ramifications of Africa's masculinities and what these portend for the peoples of Africa and for gender relations in the continent. So much has changed in terms of notions and expressions of masculinities in Africa since ancient times, but man

One of the weaknesses of research in Africa is the little consideration that is given to questions of epistemology and methodology. What we see is the trivialization of research protocols which, consequently, are reduced to fantasy prescriptions that detach social studies from universal debates over the validity of science rather than an interrogation of research procedures induced by the complexity of social dynamics. As a result, social sciences have become an imitative discourse and a recital of exotic anecdotes without perspectives. Knowledge production therefore loses any heuristic bearin

One of the weaknesses of research in Africa is the little consideration that is given to questions of epistemology and methodology. What we see is the trivialization of research protocols which, consequently, are reduced to fantasy prescriptions that detach social studies from universal debates over the validity of science rather than an interrogation of research procedures induced by the complexity of social dynamics. As a result, social sciences have become an imitative discourse and a recital of exotic anecdotes without perspectives. Knowledge production therefore loses any heuristic bearing. It is on the basis of this reality that attempts to correct this tendency have been made in this book by discussing the methodological foundation of social science knowledge. This volume is a collection of papers presented during methodological workshops organized by CODESRIA. Its objective is to revitalize theory and methodology in field work in Africa while contributing to the creation of a critical space hinged upon the mastery of epistemological bases which are indispensable to any scientific imagination. Far from being a collection of technical certainties and certified methods, this book interrogates the uncertain itinerary of the process of social logics discovery. In that sense, it is a decisive step towards a critical systemization of ongoing theories and practices within the African scientific community. The reader can, therefore, identify the philosophical, historical, sociological and anthropological foundations of object construction, field data exploitation and research results delivery. This book explains the importance of the philosophical and social modalities of scientific practice, the influence of local historical contexts, the different usages of new investigative tools, including the audiovisual tools. Finally, the book, backed by classical theories, serves as an invitation toward considering scientific commitment to African field research from a reflective perspective

Achieving a new integration of Africa into the world economy in the neoliberal era prompts discussion of the success and failure of economic policies undertaken so far in African countries; And how to address the factors that currently hamper Africa's development in a globalized economy. What does globalization mean for Africa? What changes does it imply? Which models of development impose, and under what conditions? A comprehension essay is presented in this book

The doctrine of international relations (inter-state, indeed), territorial ideologies, the logic of autochthony and its ramifications, ethnic cleansing, are all hinged at different levels upon the same pseudo-fact: to every society a closed and exclusive territory demarcated by fixed and linear borders. This way of thinking, totally foreign to African societies for a long time, has generated today more contradictions than it can ever solve. The authors of this book make a clear distinction between territory formation "from the top" as being a deliberate political project, and its formation "from below" as being a more diffused historical process which is determined by the scheme of antagonisms and compromises between social forces. In lieu of a stark opposition between "the top" and "below", the authors unveil the interdependence and mutual influence which form the basis of a dual system within which legal formation -by the colonial authorities first, then by the postcolonial one- is confronted with a host of subaltern spatial dynamics, neglecting thereby the legitimacy which only them can provide. As an essential read for anyone who is interested in the relationship between knowledge and power, this book offers stimulating perspectives on the issue of African unity and its epistemological and political challenges. It renews profoundly our approaches to human security, citizenship, borders and mobility. Contributions are in English and in French

For the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and its partners, the link between research and policy is of paramount importance in their goal to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions in developing countries. Collaboration between researchers and decision-makers, however, is complex, multifaceted, and often difficult to implement. Further, research is very often designed and carried out without regard for its potential users or beneficiaries. How should research agendas be developed? What is the role of the private sector in developing research? Which actors are invo.

Éclairer et influencer le processus de prise de décision politique par la recherche est une préoccupation de plus en plus importante pour les chercheurs d'Afrique selon le Centre de Recherche pour le Développement International. Cependant, la collaboration entre chercheurs et décideurs est complexe, multiforme et souvent difficile à mettre en œuvre. Les cloisonnements et la frilosité des acteurs, une recherche souvent produite sans considération pour ses utilisateurs potentiels, expliquent en partie la faiblesse de l'utilisation par les acteurs du développement économique et industriel des rés.

The West African sub-region has a distinctive history as one of the most dynamic parts of the African continent. Forged out of a long, often contradictory, always contested trajectory of state formation, dissolution, and recomposition that has been accompanied at different stages by widespread population movements, the sub-region has, inevitably, grappled with a wide range of core, enduring governance questions. These questions have contributed, to one degree or another, to the making and character of contemporary state systems, as well as the political cultures underpinning them. This synthesis report is a quick and easily digestible summary of some of the key developments in West Africa which had a direct bearing on governance in the sub-region during 2006. Rather than an exhaustive chronological report, the work is an omnibus tying up various developments in West Africa in presentational and analytic rubrics that are designed to give insights into a variety of governance issues. It forms the basis for future research. The report is in both English and French.

This volume looks at the introduction, adoption, and utilization of ICTs at the community level. In various contexts - geographical, technological, socioeconomic, cultural, and institutional - the book explores the questions of community participation. It looks at how communities in sub-Saharan Africa have reacted to the changes brought about by the introduction of these new ICTs and, in detail, presents both the opportunities and the challenges that ICTs present for community development.