CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2011
| Author | Mohammed, Majeed |
|---|---|
| Title | Civil Society and Democratic Consolidation in Africa: a Comparative Study of Ghana and Nigeria |
| Summary | Following the transition of most African states to democracy in the 1990s, civil society was widely regarded as essential to facilitate these transient democracies into consolidation. This thesis sets out to deconstruct the role of civil society in the democratic consolidation process of Ghana and Nigeria. To do so the thesis engages two theoretical perspectives on civil society and democratic consolidation, the liberal perspectives and the radical perspectives. Based on these two theoretical perspectives, the study argues that civil society is contributing to Ghana’s democratic consolidation process in the field of public policy, holding the state accountable, promoting citizen education and participation, as well as monitoring elections and strengthening state institutions. However, civil society in Nigeria has been unable to contribute as much in this direction because of factors ranging from its contradictory relationship with the state, ethno-religious and regional cleavages as well as undemocratic tendencies of most CSOs in the country. Consequently, the study identifies the imperative for further studies into theorizing civil society in a manner that transcends the assumption of anti-state or pro-state to include contextual and power relations, as well as deepening civil society’s internal democracies and enhancing their autonomy. |
| Supervisor | Huebscher, Evelyne Patrizia |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2011/mohammed_majeed.pdf |
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