POLI 358 CONFLICT AND SOCIETY IN AFRICA

Transcription

1 POLI 358 CONFLICT AND SOCIETY IN AFRICA SESSION 13 : GOVERNANCE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN AFRICA Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu Contact Information: smalidu@ug.edu.gh /seidualidu@gmail.com College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/ /2017

2 Session Overview The issue of governance is ubiquitous; at homes, in organizations, corporate institutions and at the level of the state. Governance can either be good or bad and each of this classification will have an implication for peace and conflict resolution. Good governance is central to both the interest of the international community and the people that are being governed. Good governance, it is assumed, has inherent features that allow for peaceful investigation and solution to the needs, grievances and aspirations of the people. The disconnect between leadership and the grass root raises issues of doubtful accountability, transparency and responsiveness. Good governance is believe to restore this and hence prevents conflicts and/or finds a legal and more interactive way of addressing them when they do emerge. This session will focus on operationalizing the concept of good governance, explain its delicate features and expatiate its potential for conflict resolution. Lecturer: Dr. Seidu Alidu 10/24/2017 Slide 2

3 Session Outline The key topics to be covered in this session are: Topic 1: DEFINITIONS AND NATURE OF GOVERNANCE Topic 2: TYPES OF GOVERNANCE Topic 3: GOOD GOVERNANCE Topic 4: IMPLICATIONS FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION Lecturer Dr. Seidu Alidu 10/24/2017 Slide 3

4 Reading materials Zartman, William (ed.) Governance as Conflict Management: Politics and Violence in West Africa. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press Ramsbotham, O., Woodhouse, T., Miall, H., Third Edition, (2011) Contemporary Conflict Resolution, Cambridge: Polity Press William, P. D., (2011) War and Conflict in Africa, Cambridge: Polity Press Barash, D.P. and Webel, C.P. (eds.) (2009) Peace and Conflict Studies, 2 nd edition, Thousand Oaks, California, Sage publication Slide 4

5 Learning objectives At the end of the session, students should be able to: Understand what governance is broadly and what good governance entails, specifically Understand the critical features of good governance Appreciate the implication of the features of good governance to conflict resolution Become familiar with the limitations of good governance in an African context Appreciate the policy implication of these limitations Slide 5

6 Topic one DEFINITIONS AND NATURE OF GOVERNANCE Slide 6

7 DEFINITION AND NATURE OF GOVERNANCE Governance is as old as humanity and therefore evades a simplified definition. However, a UNESCAP defines governance as the procedure through which decisions are made and implemented or not implemented. It can also be defined as the art by which both human and natural resources are managed for the benefit of the citizenry through the provision of goods and services. Slide 7

8 DEFINITION AND NATURE OF GOVERNANCE On the other hand, leadership can be perceived as a form of trait possessed by an individual that helps in the person s ability to influence others in achieving a set of goal (Jago, 1982). The second perspective of leadership places emphasis on the traits of the leader and how those traits influence others towards a particular pattern. Trait leadership, a term used to describe this other view of leadership, relies on the personal traits of individuals and how such traits condition his or her ability to influence others towards achieving a specific goal. Lecture: Dr. Seidu Alidu 10/24/2017 Slide 8

9 Topic Two TYPES OF GOVERNANCE Slide 9

10 TYPES OF GOVERNANCE Governance can be used in several contexts, including corporate governance, Local governance National governance international governance, In political science terms, there are broadly two categorizations of governance, viz; Bad governance Good Governance Slide 10

11 GOOD GOVERNANCE Good governance has the following features, among others: Accountability Transparency Responsiveness Rule of law Prudent management of the public sector Private-public sector interface Respect for civil liberties Slide 11

12 Topic Three IMPLICATION FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION Slide 12

13 IMPLICATION FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION The implications will be explained along the some of the features identified above: The democratic peace theory Responsiveness Transparency Accountability Slide 13

14 References Zartman, William (ed.) Governance as Conflict Management: Politics and Violence in West Africa. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press Ramsbotham, O., Woodhouse, T., Miall, H., Third Edition, (2011) Contemporary Conflict Resolution, Cambridge: Polity Press William, P. D., (2011) War and Conflict in Africa, Cambridge: Polity Press Barash, D.P. and Webel, C.P. (eds.) (2009) Peace and Conflict Studies, 2 nd edition, Thousand Oaks, California, Sage publication Lecturers Dr. Seidu Alidu 10/24/2017 Slide 14