Institutions, Political Culture Development and current Perspectives on Democratisation in Africa - RL Vol X No 12 MMVII

Institutions, Political Culture Development and current Perspectives on Democratisation in Africa

Reporter Interview, Addis Abeba, 2007

Respublica Litereria Interview Transcript - RL Vol X No 12 MMVII

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, PhD

Professor of Public Policy & Sustainable Institutional Reforms

https://addisababa.academia.edu/CostyCostantinos

Summary

The trust of the interview is that political culture and democratic development derives from the following three distinct sets of factors. The vital component of these factors is an institutional approach to political culture development that would appear to offer considerable explanatory power. The widespread incidence of social conflict and political instability in Africa is directly attributable to basic weaknesses of political institutions. While African states have greatly expanded since independence, especially in terms of the number of public employees and the share of public consumption in the government budget, this growth has not usually been accompanied by a concomitant improvement in the capacity of the state to extend authority throughout the territory to deliver public services.

With few exceptions, African state institutions have failed to win popular legitimacy. As for civil society, its institutions also remain generally underdeveloped. Compared with other parts of the world, African countries possess relatively few authentic, large-scale organisations that can articulate and aggregate social interests.

Democracy can be attained only if legal texts are applied to ensure full accountability, transparency and predictability of executive authority. Invariably, this means that we need to build the capacity for political culture development even before we go to the polls for elections that may be harbingers of more violent protests. Democratisation is a process of institutional learning, in which state and societal organisations develop a new and stable set of mechanisms to manage conflict peacefully. Historically, it is clear that few authoritarian regimes successfully achieve a transition to full democratic rule on their first attempt. As has been noted by political scientists and democrats alike democratic rule institutionalises uncertainty. It can succeed if and when all the political actors accept this uncertainty as preferable to the rigidities of dictatorship.

Reporter Newspaper Interview Transcript, 2007

See interview here or https://www.academia.edu/38309309/Institutions_Political_Culture_Development_and_current_Perspectives_on_Democratisation_in_Africa_RL_Vol_X_No_12_MMVII