University
of Ghana, Department of Political Science (Main and City Campuses)
POLI 452: Political
and Economic Reform and Democracy in Africa
Class Hours and Venues: W 930-1120 (JQB 14), Tues 10-12 (ACC) Office-Room
12 (P. Sci building) Office Hours: M 1130-1:30pm, W 2pm-3pm, TH 10-11:20 (and
by appointment)
The
course is designed to help upper level undergraduate students understand and
appreciate the various political and economic reforms that have characterized
politics and public management in Africa south of the Sahara (sub-Saharan
Africa). It also explores and examines democratization against the backdrop of
the differences in the democratizing experiences of the various countries
across time and space. This course requires quality participation by all
registered students since most class discussions will expect students to give
examples of some of the reforms they have heard, read or seen in sub-Saharan
Africa. In essence, students are required to read as many pages as possible of
the reading materials provided in the course outline.
By
the end of the semester students should be able to address the following
concerns;
·
Discuss the characteristics of democratization
in sub-Saharan Africa.
·
Present
an annotated bibliography on a given topic.
·
Investigate
the role of political parties and interest groups in consolidating democracy.
·
Examine
the relationship between democracy and development broadly conceived.
·
What
roles did the external and internal influences play in the transition to
democracy?
·
Discuss the importance of political parties
and interest groups in the promotion of political and economic development.
Required
and Recommended Readings
The World Bank (2000). Can Africa claim the 21st century?
The World Bank: Washington, D.C.
Gyimah-Boadi, E. (Editor) (2004). Democratic
reform in Africa: the quality of progress.
Lynne Reinner.
Lindberg, S. (2006). Democracy and
elections in Africa. The Johns Hopkins University Press Seitz, J.L. (2008). Global Issues: an introduction, 3rd
edition. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing.
Rose, R. (2005). Learning from
comparative public policy: a practical guide. New York: Routledge.
Payne, R.J. (2007). Global Issues:
politics, economics, and culture. New York: Pearson Longman.
Handelman, H. (2000). The
challenge of third world development, 2nd edition. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Matthew Lockwood (2006) The state
they’re in: an agenda for international action on poverty in Africa, second
edition.UK: Practical Action Publishing.
Asare Bossman (2009) The African Union, Multi-level Governance and
Accountability in Africa, Legon Journal
of International Affairs, 6 (2), 121-137
Asare,
Bossman (2012) Unitarism and Presidentialism: Political Institutions and
Corruption in Public Management in Ghana, Journal
of Public Administration and Policy Research, 4(2) pp.32-41.
Interim Assessment
There
are two Interim Assessments in this course. The first one is an annotated
bibliography of 15 articles/books on corruption, public management, political
leadership, political parties, civil society organizations, and governance. This
is due on the fifth week of class.
The
second requires a response of 1500 words long, double-spacing, and a 12 point
font to the question below - critically
examine the role effective and efficient political leadership and learning from
abroad can play in leapfrogging the economic development of any country of your
choice in sub-Saharan Africa. This
is a take-home research assignment requiring at least 15 reference materials
due on the ninth week of class.
Final
exams
Final exams will be only long essays.
Civility
Civility in the classroom is expected of all
students. Students who disrupt class to the extent that others' educational
opportunities are diminished may be asked to leave the classroom. Cell phones
must be turned- off at all times in
the classroom.
Communicating
with your Instructor
Feel
free to stop by and discuss academic matters or concerns with us in the office.
All emails sent to either of the instructors should include POLI 452 in the subject line.
Class
Attendance and Participation
Attendance will be monitored
every class session, and students are expected to regularly and relevantly
contribute to class discussions by raising questions and making salient
comments. For the purpose of class participation, which is compulsory, students
are encouraged to gather information from news sources on Africa, such as the
New York Times online, Yahoo News, Google News, Al Jazeera, the Associated
Press, Reuters, BBC, DWTV, Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street Journal
online, and the Washington Post online. This will be an opportunity for
students to make oral contributions, in addition to the regular lectures and
discussions.
Learning
Disability Students
Any student with an officially recognized
disability should make fitting arrangements with the university, not the
instructors.
Plagiarism
and Cheating
Plagiarism, which is representing somebody’s work as your own, as
well as cheating in all forms, must be avoided. These behaviors are punishable
by the university. More specifically, any form of academic dishonesty must be
avoided, since it affects you as an individual and the university as a whole.
Grading
Grades are based on the following:
Annotated Bibliography 15%
Research Paper 15%
Final Exams 70%
Course
Calendar
Week
1- February 3/4
Introduction to the Course
Week
2 February 10/11
Democracy in Global and African Perspectives
Week
3 February 17/18
Understanding Development and Underdevelopment
Week
4 March 3/4
The Challenge of African Development
Week
5 March 10/11
Learning From Elsewhere to Promote Political and
Economic Development/Features of Well-functioning Societies
Week
6 March 17/18 Presidential and Parliamentary Democracies in Africa
Week7
March 24/25
Political Parties /Interest Groups/ the Media/Social
Movements in sub-Saharan Africa
Week
8 March 31/April 1
Improving
Governance, Managing Conflict, and Rebuilding States
Week
9 April 7/8
Addressing
Poverty and Inequality
Week
10 April 14/15
Statist, Market and Civil Society Approaches to
Economic Development/Social Entrepreneurship
Week
11 April 21/22 Spurring
Agriculture and Rural Development
Week
12 April 28/29
African
Regionalism/Reducing Aid Dependence and Debt/Strengthening Partnerships
Week
13 May 5/6-Seminar Discussions on the Effectiveness
of Reforms in Africa
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