Suchergebnisse

My aim is to examine one particular mode of political participation: the urban riot. In the West African context its importance is enhanced by the fact that there exist few, if any, other ways in which the mass of the population can participate in the political process and seek to bring some influence to bear upon governments. For most of the time, in the majority of states in the region, constitutional mechanisms for influencing governments have been largely absent due to the prevailing climate of political authoritarianism. Only in the Gambia have competitive parties operated throughout the last 10 years, although a few other states (Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Senegal) have had this type of democratic system for part of the time. For the rest, single-party or military rule has held sway, and opportunities for influencing, or indeed replacing, governments through the ballot box have been marked by their absence. Authoritarianism has extended not only to opposition parties — or, in the case of the military, any political organisation — but also to autonomous or semi-independent pressure groups, which have in general been fairly weak, even where not banned altogether.

Analyse städtischer Unruhen in Westafrika als die häufig einzige Möglichkeit der Bevölkerung, sich am politischen Prozeß zu beteiligen und Änderungen zu erzwingen. Häufigkeit, Ausmaß und Ursachen der Unruhen, Kennzeichnung der wichtigsten daran beteiligten Bevölkerungsgruppen. Nur wenige Unruhen waren wirksam im Hinblick auf das damit verfolgte Ziel. Andererseits haben jedoch aufrührerische Zustände dieser Art gerade in Westafrika mehrfach direkt oder indirekt zu einem Sturz der Regierung durch das Militär beigetragen. (DÜI-Hlb)

An examination of the relationship between Ur riots & increases in state welfare spending in the 1960s revealed little evidence of a direct relationship between rioting & state welfare spending increases from own funds, but did provide evidence that state welfare spending increases from federal funds were related to the level of Ur rioting. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed & directions for further research are suggested. 3 Tables. HA.

ABSTRACTThis article examines the relationship between urban riots and increases in state welfare spending in the 1960s. It finds little evidence of a direct relationship between rioting and state welfare spending increases from own funds; but it does provide evidence that state welfare spending increases from federal funds were related to the level of urban rioting. Possible explanations for this pattern of findings are discussed and directions for further research are suggested.

Some of the causes underlying the riots in US cities during the 1960s are linked to instability & fluctuations in the social, political, & economic life of inner-city blacks. Data collected in the 1950s & 1960s by the Center for Political Studies, U of Michigan, are used to examine the role of personal uncertainty in these riots. In an analysis of the survey data only on black Ms, (N not specified) grouped by age (16-29, 30-44, 45+), gamma coefficients are used to summarize attitudinal variables distinguishing riot-prone Ss. Uncertainty is shown to be the most significant attitudinal characteristic distinguishing rioters from nonrioters, & its influence extended across all three age groups. Ss in the youngest group who scored high on the personal uncertainty index were twice as likely as low-scoring counterparts to participate in riots. The investigation offers little support for the "riots-as-protests" explanation of the disturbances. 1 Table, 7 Figures. M. Milburn.