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Archive for April, 2010

When the Acting President “acts presidential”

During his April 12 address to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Nigeria’s Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan adopted the tone and tenor of a reformer.  Unfortunately he offered only a few encouraging signs of reform. He outlined electoral reform, Niger Delta development, fighting corruption, and improving electricity as his principle goals.   This indicates a [...]

April 13, 2010 · admin · 8 Comments
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• FEATURED RESEARCH: “Questioning Tocqueville in Africa”

  "Questioning Tocqueville in Africa: Continuity and Change in Civil society During Nigeria’s Democratization"

  Alexis de Tocqueville's influence on the democratization literature has encouraged the idea that transitions require an independent civil society. However this view reifies boundaries between state and society, and it over-predicts civil society confrontation with governments. Drawing upon Hegel, I develop a model that clusters organizations according to goal orientation and autonomy. I then examine civil society during Nigeria’s democratization. I attribute changes in autonomy and goal orientation of organizations to transnational organizing, coalition building, and repression. My findings question the assumption that autonomous organizations will challenge the state.

  (This article appears in the February 2011 issue of Democratization, vol. 18, no. 1)