Political Change in a West African State: A Study of the Modernization Process in Sierra Leone

Economic Commission for Africa

In this chapter, we discuss whether or not “governance” is an important source of variation in development experiences We draw four main conclusions First, governance is best thought of a subset of “institutions” and as such emphasis on governance is consistent with much recent academic work Nevertheless, governance is a quite vague rubric which is difficult to unbundle Second, the governance of a society is the outcome of a political process and as such is closely related to the literature on the political economy of development Third, improving governance necessitates understanding the nature of the entire political equilibrium Finally, an important research frontier is understanding the forces that create or impeded endogenous changes in governance

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Governance and Development

It has been argued that modernization promotes potentially disintegrative forces in developing areas, and in particular, often gives rise to powerful ethnic groupings (for example, see Geertz, 1963; Melson and Wolpe, 1970; Huntington, 1968). In this article, we elaborate this hypothesis in the context of the developing nations of black Africa. We note that important competition can and do covary in contemporary Africa (Morrison and Stevenson, 1972). And we attempt to explain why this should be so.

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Ethnic Competition and Modernization in Contemporary Africa

Having assumed the burden of understanding political life in two-and-a-half dozen unruly countries, political scientists who study the new states of tropical Africa must leap with assurance where angels fear to tread. We have borrowed, adapted, or invented an array of frameworks designed to guide perceptions of disparate events, and Africa is now uniformly viewed through the best lenses of contemporary comparative politics with a focus on political modernization, development and integration. Unfortunately, it appears that when we rely exclusively on these tools in order to accomplish our task, the aspects of political life which we, as well as non-specialists, see most clearly with the naked eye of informed common sense, remain beyond the range of our scientific vision. In our pursuit of scientific progress, we have learned to discern such forms as regular patterns of behavior which constitute structures and institutions; but the most salient characteristic of political life in Africa is that it constitutes an almost institutionless arena with conflict and disorder as its most prominent features. In recent years, almost every new African state has experienced more or less successful military or civilian coups, insurrections, mutinies, severe riots, and significant political assassinations. Some of them appear to be permanently on the brink of disintegration into several new political units. With little regard for the comfort of social scientists, the incidence of conflict and disorder appears unrelated to such variables as type of colonial experience, size, number of parties, absolute level or rate of economic and social development, as well as to the overall characteristics of regimes. The downfall of what was widely regarded as the continent's most promising democracy in January, 1966, was followed in February by the demise of what many thought to be the continent's harshest authoritarian regime.

The Structure of Political Conflict in the New States of Tropical Africa

British colonial rule has often been praised for its comparatively benign features, such as its support of local educational development. This study argues that the impact of British educational policies and investments on the supply of schooling in British Africa should not be overstated. Until 1940, mission schools, mainly run by African converts, provided the bulk of education at extremely low costs. Given the limited financial capacity of missionary societies, the Africanization of the mission was a prerequisite for rising enrolment rates and this only occurred in areas where the demand for Western education was high. The British happened to control most of these “fertile” areas.

background

https://www.ewoutfrankema.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Origins_Education_Africa.EREH_.2012.pdf

Political Change in a West African State: A Study of the Modernization Process in Sierra Leone

Citations

Economic Commission for Africa

Governance and Development

Ethnic Competition and Modernization in Contemporary Africa

The Structure of Political Conflict in the New States of Tropical Africa

The origins of formal education in sub-Saharan Africa: was British rule more benign?

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