This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC
BY-NC 4.0 licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online
and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open
access locations. Why have most African countries not achieved
greater political liberalization? What explains the lack of
progress toward the ideals of liberal democracy across the region?
This book advances ongoing debates on democratic backsliding with
specific reference to Africa. In examining how incumbent leaders in
African countries attempt to contain societal pressures for greater
democracy, the chapters explain how governments go beyond the
standard tools of manipulation, such as electoral fraud and
political violence, to keep democracy from unfolding in their
countries. The book emphasizes two distinct strategies that
governments frequently use to reinforce their hold on power - the
legal system and the international system - but which remain
overlooked in conventional analyses; it also documents how
governments employ the law to limit the scope of action among
citizens and civil society activists struggling to expand
democratic liberties, including the use of constitutional
provisions and the courts. The work further demonstrates how
governments use their role in international relations to neutralize
pressure from external actors, including sovereigntist claims
against foreign intervention and selective implementation of
donor-promoted policies. While pro-democracy actors can also employ
these legal and international strategies to challenge incumbents,
in some cases to prevent democratic backsliding, the book shows why
and how incumbents have enjoyed institutional advantages when
implementing these strategies through six country case studies of
Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Oxford Studies
in African Politics and International Relations is a series for
scholars and students working on African politics and International
Relations and related disciplines. Volumes concentrate on
contemporary developments in African political science, political
economy, and International Relations, such as electoral politics,
democratization, decentralization, the political impact of natural
resources, the dynamics and consequences of conflict, and the
nature of the continent's engagement with the East and West.
Comparative and mixed methods work is particularly encouraged. Case
studies are welcomed but should demonstrate the broader theoretical
and empirical implications of the study and its wider relevance to
contemporary debates. The series focuses on sub-Saharan Africa,
although proposals that explain how the region engages with North
Africa and other parts of the world are of interest. Series
Editors: Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy and International
Development, University of Birmingham; Ricardo Soares de Oliveira,
Professor of the International Politics of Africa, University of
Oxford; Peace Medie, Senior Lecturer, School of Sociology,
Politics, and International Studies, University of Bristol.
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