Suchergebnisse

The fiscal sociology literature views the state at the heart of development, but in most developing countries, formal taxation is limited. Instead, local residents make substantial contributions outside the state to the provision of public goods. That is, they engage in what we call social extraction rather than state taxation. This article conceptualizes social extraction and the social institutions that drive extraction. Furthermore, it considers variations in the content of social institutions, and it proposes research agendas that allow us to understand how social institutions impact resource mobilization and development at the community level. It draws lessons from a large, cross-disciplinary literature that includes work in anthropology, sociology, economics, psychology, and political science.

Zambia has held three multiparty elections since its restoration of democracy in 1991. This peaceful transition raised expectations of a smooth process towards democratic consolidation. But similar to experiences in other African countries and Eastern Europe, the Zambian democratic process has remained stuck in a 'transitional zone' between actual democracy and authoritarian systems. This article argues that Zambian elections fall short of the expectations of a democratic process due to the institutional uncertainty surrounding elections and the weakness of the Zambian Electoral Commission in particular. The continued uncertainty - of the rules and regulations guiding elections and electoral administration - has maintained the same party in power through three consecutive elections, despite an alarming economic record.(Democratization - www.frankcass.com/DÜI)

In this article we analyse the changes in the party system in Zambia in the period 1991 to 2001. Based on changes observed in terms of the number of parties, their relative size, 'ideological distance' and interaction patterns, we characterize the changes as movement from a dominant to a competitive party system after the 2001 elections. In the second part of the article we explain the changes and contend that the structure of political institutions in Zambia encouraged the formation of multiple parties. It is assumed that the development of a more competitive party system would ease the process of democratic consolidation by providing the electorate with electoral alternatives. However, as the emerging party system is fragmented, and several of the newly formed parties may be transient in character, it is doubtful whether these alternatives would contribute to improving democracy in Zambia.