Claffey, Patrick. Christian Churches in Dahomey-Benin: A Study of Their Sociopolitical Role. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2007.

This book, divided into two broad sections, examines the state in the Republic of Benin and the socio-political role of the Christian churches. The first looks at the remarkable pre-colonial kingdom of Danxomέ and its place in the imagining of the modern contrat social béninois. The second section looks at both the historical role of the mainline churches and the more recent development of a Christianisme béninois. The study concludes that the churches are above all a commentary upon the society in which they find themselves. Rather than an overt challenge to the state, they articulate social distress and the desire for a different future. In times of stress they may prove to be the only viable institutional buttress as well as the arbiter. This study seeks to make a contribution to the understanding of the public role of Christian churches in Africa.

[Source: https://brill.com].

Claudia Gastrow

Lecturer Anthropology, University of Johannesburg

Contact:

cgastrow@uj.ac.za

Clayton, Amanda, Novek, Jennifer, and Margaret Levi. "When Elites Meet: Decentralization, Power-Sharing, And Public Goods Provision in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone". World Bank Policy Research Working Paper. No. 7335. June 24, 2015.

This study, using post-conflict Sierra Leone as a case, explores power dynamics between traditional hereditary chiefs and newly elected community councilors in the provision of local public goods. The research reveals that when relationships between councilors and chiefs are competitive, it leads to better local development outcomes and higher public goods provision. On the other hand, relationships characterized by cooperation or familial ties result in poorer local development outcomes. In essence, competition among elite groups is found to be beneficial for local development, while collaboration between old and new elites hinders the provision of public goods.

Source: Article's abstract

Clayton, Amanda, Jennifer Noveck, and Margaret Levi. "When Elites Meet: Decentralization, Power-Sharing, And Public Goods Provision in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7335(2015).

Clayton, Noveck and Levi argue that decentralization is key for development and good governance. However, the process of decentralization can cause tension as new elites attempt to take up governing spaces that have long been occupied by traditional patrons. This is because decentralization creates new avenues to accumulate political power and promote development. It empowers new local authorities in the area of traditional governance. The study examined how decentralization process shapes power relations among different sets of local actors by exploring power-sharing dynamics between traditional hereditary chiefs and newly elected community councilors in post-colonial Sierra Leone. The study also examines how this dynamic affects the provision of local public goods. These actors, comprising newly elected elites have to work with the preexisting systems of local governance leading to potential conflicts between new and traditional elites. The authors conclude that this conflict between the new and old elites can also be viewed as inter-elite competition that could result in improvements of local development outcomes whereas inter-elite collusion can be detrimental for development as it can affect the provision of local public goods.

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Clayton, Amanda and Noveck, Jennifer and Levi, Margaret, When Elites Meet: Decentralization, Power-Sharing, and Public Goods Provision in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone (June 24, 2015). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7335, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2622813

In the past decade, decentralization of governance has been promoted as a means of achieving good governance. This study, using post-conflict Sierra Leone as a case, explores power dynamics between traditional hereditary chiefs and newly elected community councillors in the provision of local public goods. The research reveals that when relationships between councillors and chiefs are competitive, it leads to better local development outcomes and higher public goods provision. On the other hand, relationships characterized by cooperation or familial ties result in poorer local development outcomes. In essence, competition among elite groups is found to be beneficial for local development, while collaboration between old and new elites hinders the provision of public goods.

Source: Culled from article's abstract

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Zambia

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Cochrane, Laura. Religious Networks and Small Businesses in Senegal. Economic Anthropology. Volume, 8. Issue, 1. Pages, 22-33. August 24, 2020.

Senegalese religious groups have a history of relying on their networks to navigate external challenges, including colonialism, drought, and economic hardships. In contemporary times, these religious networks often leverage small businesses for economic sustenance. Based on ethnographic research in central Senegal, this article contends that robust religious networks and the practice of Islamic principles of social welfare serve as both the method for achieving and the objective of economic stability. Economic prosperity becomes a means for business owners to provide for their families and bolster local economies, thereby facilitating the ability of individuals to lead a religious life within a supportive community.

Source: Article's abstract

Cocodia, Jude. Peacekeeping and the African Union: Building Negative Peace. Routledge, 2018.

This book offers a detailed examination of the effectiveness of the peacekeeping operations of the African Union. Despite its growing reputation in peacekeeping and its status as the oldest continental peacekeeper, the performance of the African Union (AU) has hitherto not been assessed. This book fills that gap and analyses six case studies: Burundi, Comoros, Somalia, Mali, Darfur and the Central African Republic. From a methodological perspective it takes a problem-solving approach and utilizes process tracing in its analysis, with its standard for success resting on achieving negative peace (the cessation of violence and provision of security). Theoretically, this study offers a comprehensive list of factors drawn from peace literature and field experience which influence the outcome of peacekeeping. Beyond the major issues, such as funding, international collaboration and mandate, this work also examines the impact of largely ignored factors such as force integrity and territory size. The book modifies the claim of peace literature on what matters for success and advocates the indispensability of domestic elite cooperation, local initiative and international political will. It recognizes the necessity of factors such as lead state and force integrity for certain peace operations. In bringing these factors together, this study expands the peacekeeping debate on what matters for stability in conflict areas.

Source: book description culled from Routledge.com