Edited Danwood Chirwa and Lia Nijzink

PUBLICATION DATA:

ISBN-10: 92-808-1205-X,
ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1205-3

LANGUAGE:

English

PAGES:

460

PUBLISHER:

United Nations University Press

PUBLISHED:

December 2011

The book brings together a number of leading experts in the fields of public law, political science and democratisation studies to discuss problems of accountability, identify ways of making African governments accountable and describe the extent to which these mechanisms work in practice. Thus, it presents new knowledge about legal and political developments in a number of African countries that is relevant to the policy goal of developing and deepening democratic governance and accountable government on the continent. Accountable Government in Africa will be of interest to academics, students and practitioners in the fields of public law, public administration, political studies and African studies. Anyone who has an interest in developing and deepening democratic governance and accountable government on the African continent.

About the Editors

Danwood Mzikenge Chirwa is currently Head of the Public Law Department at the University of Cape Town. He is also an Associate Professor and a fellow at the University of Cape Town. Lia Nijzink is a Senior Researcher with the Department of Public Law, University of Cape Town, where she coordinates the DelPHE-funded South-North partnership with the Universities of Warwick (UK) and Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania).

Table of Contents:

Accountable government in Africa: Introduction, Danwood M. Chirwa and Lia Nijzink
Post-apartheid accountability: The transformation of a political idea, Andrew Nash
The politics of constitutional reform in Zambia: From executive dominance to public participation? Neo Simutanyi
Judicial independence and the judicialization of electoral politics in Malawi and Uganda, Siri Gloppen and Fidelis Kanyongolo
From parliamentary supremacy to judicial review: Relations between parliament and the judiciary in Tanzania, Jwani Mwaikusa
Judicial review of parliamentary actions in South Africa: A nuanced interpretation of the separation of powers, Hugh Corder
Prosecutions, politics and the law: The way things are, Philip Stenning
The civilianization of prosecutorial services in Tanzania, Sifuni Mchome
Accountable governance and the role of national human rights institutions: The experience of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, Danwood M. Chirwa and Redson Kapindu
Balancing independence and accountability: The role of Chapter 9 Institutions in South Africa’s constitutional democracy, Pierre De Vos
Accountability compromised: Floor crossing in Malawi and South Africa, Lia Nijzink
Democracy within political parties: The state of affairs in East and Southern Africa, Augustine Magolowondo
Political parties in Malawi: An accountability analysis, Nandini Patel
Family matters: The interplay between formal and informal incentives for accountability in Mali’s local communities, Martin van Vliet
Understanding local forms of accountability: Initial findings from Ghana and Malawi, Diana Cammack
External accountability meets accountability assistance: The case of legislative strengthening in Africa, Peter Burnell