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Benin's stealthy democracide: How Africa's model democracy kills itself bit by bit

Author

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  • Kohnert, Dirk
  • Preuss, Hans-Joachim
Abstract
A 'democratic recession' is to be observed, which is not restricted to Sub-Sahara Africa but spreads worldwide since the beginning of the 21st century. Instead of concentrating on the outward appearance of a democratic form of government, greater attention should be paid to good governance and the stealthy erosion of democratic institutions, even in formerly shining examples and African 'model democracies' like Benin and Senegal. It went along with the rise of populist new nationalism and lack of regard of the concerned for the need to defend democracy actively. The lingering process of the decline of democratic institutions is driven by increasingly poor governance and disregard for the rule of law and transparency, which has been especially pronounced in African countries since the early 2000s. On the other hand, recent examples of African social movements that successfully campaigned for a democratic renaissance in Africa and elsewhere are promising indicators of progressive social forces that counteract global trends of the resurgence of right-wing nationalism and autocratic rule.

Suggested Citation

  • Kohnert, Dirk & Preuss, Hans-Joachim, 2019. "Benin's stealthy democracide: How Africa's model democracy kills itself bit by bit," EconStor Preprints 205259, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:esprep:205259
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    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/205259/1/KOHNERT%26PREUSS2019.Benin%27s%20stealthy%20democracide.WP.10.10.19.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kohnert, Dirk, 2020. "BTI -2022 Togo Country Report : political and socio-economic development, 2019-2020 [enhanced author's version]," MPRA Paper 105007, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Kohnert, Dirk, 1996. "Magic and witchcraft: Implications for democratization and poverty-alleviating aid in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(8), pages 1347-1355, August.
    3. Kohnert, Dirk, 2020. "No change in sight - Togo’s Political and Socio-Economic Development (2017 – 2019)," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    4. Kohnert, Dirk & Preuss, Hans-Joachim, 1992. "Vom Camarade zum Monsieur: Strukturanpassung und Demokratisierung in Benin," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 12(46), pages 47-70.
    5. Leonard Wantchekon, 2017. "Policy deliberation and voter persuasion: estimating intrinsic causal effects of town hall meetings," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(3), pages 295-304, July.
    6. Kohnert, Dirk, 2007. "Common roots, shared traits, joint prospects? On the articulation of multiple modernities in Benin and Haiti," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 151-173.
    7. Kohnert, Dirk, 2009. "New Nationalism and Development in Africa: Review Article," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 44(1), pages 111-123.
    8. Dirk Kohnert, 2009. "New Nationalism and Development in Africa," Africa Spectrum, Institute of African Affairs, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 44(1), pages 111-123.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Canen, Nathan & Ch, Rafael & Wantchekon, Leonard, 2023. "Political uncertainty and the forms of state capture," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Benin; Democratization; Senegal; Togo; democratic recession; social movements; governance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • K15 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Civil Law; Common Law
    • K16 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Election Law
    • N47 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N97 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Africa; Oceania
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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