How can African countries escape from the traps of recurring war and coups? Are citizens taking part in free and fair elections and are institutions created that allow to put effective constraints on the executive?
RESEARCH QUESTION
How can African countries escape from the traps of recurring war and coups? Are citizens taking part in free and fair elections and are institutions created that allow to put effective constraints on the executive?
PROJECT
Despite recent attempts of democratization Africa and other poor countries have not seen many legitimate leadership turnovers. Between 1960 and 2004 almost half of all African leaders lost their office in an irregular manner. Coups d’état are a particular danger, about 30 percent of leaders lost their power in coups.
During the third wave of democratization hopes were high that poor countries would democratize. While there has been a higher number of elections and the incidence of coups and civil wars is falling, there is concern whether this really generates democracy. Are citizens taking part in free and fair elections and are institutions created that allow to put effective constraints on the executive?
The aim of this project is to analyse how poor African countries can escape from the traps of recurring war and coups. The ultimate goal is to examine the mechanisms that are likely to create legitimate leadership turnover and thus help to support sustainable democratization and development in poor countries.
