African Journals OnLine
African Journal of Political Science (AJPS)
Revue Africaine de Science Politique

Volume 6 Number 1 June 2001

ABSTRACTS

African Crisis Response Initiative and the New African Security (Dis)order
Emmanuel K. Aning*

Abstract
This article examines the role of the US in post-cold war West African security issues. It analyses the impact of the ACRI and the reactions from the continent-from the OAU, ECOWAS and influential countries like Nigeria-given the efforts being made by African governments to grapple with their own security concerns. It concludes with a tentative assessment of the possibilities for ACRI's effectiveness and its prospects for achieving credibility among African governments and civil society.


The Ghana 2000 Elections: Voter Choice and Electoral Decisions
Felix K. G. Anebo* 

Abstract
The 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana deserve notice, not because of their political significance but because of the theoretical weight they carry. The shift in electoral fortunes between the two main political parties in the country provide a unique leverage for assessing theories of voting behaviour. This article examines in detail the electoral performance of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party in the 2000 elections, treating the elections as opportunities for voters to endorse or repudiate the incumbent (NDC) regime's record in particular. Contrary to earlier assertions that Ghanaians pay attention not so much to regime performance and achievements as they reach their political decisions, we show empirically that the Ghanaians could also choose between parties and candidates when deciding on an election.


From "Imagined Community" to Multicultural Mosaic: "The Politics of Difference" in Tanzania
Paul J. Kaiser*

Abstract 
Economic and political liberation in Africa has affected fragile national identities constructed over the past thirty or so years. This has led to the reconstruction of different identities and contestations affecting the legitimacy of government institutions in mediating conflict over the distribution of scarce resources. Using Tanzania as a case study, this article examines the relevance of multi-culturalism as a solution to the contest between sub-national identities mobilized by the current economic and political reforms.


The 1994 and 1999 Electoral Process/Systems: Promoting Democracy in South Africa
Constanze Bauer*

Abstract 
South Africa's general elections of 1994 was a unique occurrence in the country's history, having for the first time enfranchised the majority of the country's citizens. The 1999 elections advanced this process of democratizing the South African policy. This article examines the electoral systems that were applied to two elections, as well as the role of the Independent Electoral Commission in connection with those two elections. It argues that the legal and institutional frameworks established by the relevant laws ensured free and fair elections; but above all they advanced the democratization process


Management Politics in Kenya's Sugar Industry:  Towards an Effective Framework
Peter Wanyande*

Abstract 
Poor management, corruption and vested political interests have made Kenya's sugar industry so inefficient that the country's goal of attaining self-sufficiency in sugar production will remain unattainable for a long time. To explain the persistence of this situation, the article examines the management practice in the industry, prevailing production arrangements and the problems associated with it, focusing on the politics that pervades the entire system
Introduction This paper has two objectives. The first objective is to discuss the management of Kenya's sugar industry and to shed insights into the politics surrounding the management of the industry. The second objective is to suggest a way forward in terms of an effective policy framework for the effective management of the industry. In an attempt to meet these objectives we have provided a historical background to the sugar industry in Kenya including information about the various actors involved in the industry since its inception to date. These include sugar-cane farmers and their organizations, the owners of capital, both local and international, that have invested in the industry, the managers and the state through its various institutions. The paper then examines the production structure of the sugar industry including the production arrangements and the problems associated with the production system that has been put in place. The final part of the paper suggests a way forward in terms of policy. An attempt is made throughout the paper to highlight the politics affecting the management of the sugar industry. The argument of the paper is that poor management, corruption and vested political interests have made the sugar industry so inefficient that the aim of making Kenya self-sufficient in sugar is likely to remain elusive for a long time to come. 
Data for this report was obtained from both secondary and primary sources. Primary sources were derived from interviews conducted among twenty farmers in Muhoroni and fifteen farmers in Chemelil sugar-cane growing areas. The author had also attended the Open Forum of the Institute of Economic Affairs in 1999 at which problems in the sugar industry were discussed. Secondary sources included published and unpublished academic and non-academic materials on the industry. Newspapers and journals were also consulted.