Judicial Administration. Perhaps a more realistic transitional approach would be to reconcile the parallel institutions while simultaneously pursuing policies that transform traditional economic systems. Transforming the traditional economic system is also likely to require embracing and utilizing the traditional institutional systems as vehicles for the provision of public services. Despite such changes, these institutions are referred to as traditional not because they continue to exist in an unadulterated form as they did in Africas precolonial past but because they are largely born of the precolonial political systems and are adhered to principally, although not exclusively, by the population in the traditional (subsistent) sectors of the economy. Societal conflicts: Institutional dichotomy often entails incompatibility between the systems. The purpose is to stress that such efforts and the attendant will Towards a Definition of Government 1.3. Hoover Education Success Initiative | The Papers. Regardless, fragmentation of institutional systems poses a number of serious challenges to Africas governance and economic development. It is too soon to tell whether such institutions can evolve in modern Africa as a result of gradual tinkering with reformist agendas, as the legacy of wise leaders; or whether they will only happen as a result of fundamental tests of strength between social and political groups. Tribe Versus Ethnic Group. For example, the election day itself goes more or less peacefully, the vote tabulation process is opaque or obscure, and the entire process is shaped by a pre-election playing field skewed decisively in favor of the incumbents. This brief essay began by identifying the state-society gap as the central challenge for African governance. There is a basic distinction between those systems with a centralized authority exercised through the machinery of government and those without any such authority in which . 7 Main Features of a Traditional Society - Sociology Discussion Nonhereditary selected leaders with constitutional power: A good example of this is the Gada system of the Oromo in Ethiopia and Kenya. One of these will be the role and weight of various powerful external actors. Large states and those with complex ethnic and geographic featurese.g., the DRC, Nigeria, Uganda, the Sudans, Ethiopiamay be especially prone to such multi-sourced violence. Africas states are the worlds newest, and it can hardly be surprising that Africans define themselves in terms of multiple identities including regional, tribal, clan-based, and religious onesin addition to being citizens of a relatively new state. In traditional African communities, it was not possible to distinguish between religious and non-religious areas of life. Nation, Tribe and Ethnic Group in Africa | Cultural Survival Ousted royals such as Haile Selassie (Ethiopia) and King Idriss (Libya) may be replaced by self-anointed secular rulers who behave as if they were kings until they, in turn, get overthrown. A look at the economic systems of the adherents of the two institutional systems also gives a good indication of the relations between economic and institutional systems. Uneven access to public services, such as educational, health, and communication services, and the disproportionately high poverty rates in the traditional sector are manifestations of the sectors marginalization. Consequently, national and regional governance factors interact continuously. Problems and Purpose. In this paper, I look first at the emergence of the African state system historically, including colonial legacies and the Cold Wars impact on governance dynamics. 1. Executive, legislative, and judicial functions are generally attributed by most modern African constitutions to presidents and prime ministers, parliaments, and modern judiciaries. Department of Political Science, Pennsylvania State University, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Contentious Politics and Political Violence, Political Values, Beliefs, and Ideologies, Why African Traditional Institutions Endure, Authority Systems of Africas Traditional Institutions, Relevance and Paradox of Traditional Institutions, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1347, United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, Global Actors: Networks, Elites, and Institutions, Traditional Leaders and Development in Africa. To illustrate, when there are 2.2 billion Africans, 50% of whom live in cities, how will those cities (and surrounding countryside) be governed? Following decolonization, several African countries attempted to abolish aspects of the traditional institutional systems. Features of Yoruba Pre colonial Administration - Bscholarly Such a consensus-building mechanism can help resolve many of the conflicts related to diversity management and nation-building. The formal institutions of checks and balances and accountability of leaders to the population are rather weak in this system. With the dawn of colonialism in Africa, the traditional African government was sys-tematically weakened, and the strong and influential bond between traditional lead- . As Legesse (1973, 2000) notes, the fundamental principles that guide the consensus-based (decentralized) authority systems include curbing the concentration of power in an institution or a person and averting the emergence of a rigid hierarchy. It is also challenging to map them out without specifying their time frame. Ten years later, in 2017, the number of conflicts was 18, taking place in 13 different countries. In new countries such as most of those in Africa,7 where the rule of law is in competition with the rule of men, leaders play a strikingly critical role, for good or ill. Types of Government in Africa - Synonym It may be useful to recall that historical kingships or dynasties were the common form of rule in Europe, India, China until modern times, and still is the predominant form of rule on the Arabian Peninsula. Womens inequality in the traditional system is related, at least in part, to age- and gender-based divisions of labor characterizing traditional economic systems. A command economy, also known as a planned economy, is one in which the central government plans, organizes, and controls all economic activities to maximize social welfare. These consisted of monarchy, aristocracy and polity. Almost at a stroke, the relationships between African governments and the major powers and major sources of concessional finance were upended, while political liberalization in the former Soviet bloc helped to trigger global political shock waves. 15 Facts on African Religions The Interfaith Observer Hoover scholars form the Institutions core and create breakthrough ideas aligned with our mission and ideals. At times, these traditional security system elements are sufficient enough for some uses, but there's certainly no denying . Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice). Pre-colonial Political System In Nigeria (Yoruba Traditional System) Both types of government can be effective or infective depending on . Three layers of institutions characterize most African countries. They dispense justice, resolve conflicts, and enforce contracts, even though such services are conducted in different ways in different authority systems. . 1.4. Unlike the laws of the state, traditional institutions rarely have the coercive powers to enforce their customary laws. However, the system of traditional government varied from place to place. You cant impose middle class values on a pre-industrial society.13. African Political Systems - Wikipedia There were several reasons for such measures. Greater access to public services and to productivity-enhancing technology would also help in enhancing the transformation of the subsistence sector. More frequently, this form of rule operates at the sub-state level as in the case of the emir of Kano or the Sultan of Sokoto in Nigeria or the former royal establishments of the Baganda (Uganda) or the Ashanti (Ghana). A key factor in the size of adherents of rural institutions, however, seems to depend on the ratio of the population in the traditional economic systems to the total population. The colonial state modified their precolonial roles. The quality and durability of such leader-defined adaptive resilience cannot be assured and can be reversed unless the associated norms become institutionalized. Freedom House calculated that 17 out of 50 countries it covered were free or partly free in 1988, compared to 31 out of 54 countries in these categories by 2015. Ancient West Africa: Bantu Migrations & the Stateless Society The key lies in identifying the variables that will shape its context. Issues of corruption and transparency are likely to become driving themes in African politics. Suggested Citation, 33 West 60th StreetNew York, NY 10023United States, Public International Law: Sources eJournal, Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic, Political Institutions: Parties, Interest Groups & Other Political Organizations eJournal, Political Institutions: Legislatures eJournal, We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. Long-standing kingdoms such as those in Morocco and Swaziland are recognized national states. There are several types of government systems in African politics: in an absolute monarchy, the head of state and head of government is a monarch with unlimited legal authority,; in a constitutional monarchy, the monarch is a ceremonial figurehead who has few political competences,; in a presidential system, the president is the head of state and head of government, The scope of the article is limited to an attempt to explain how the endurance of African traditional institutions is related to the continents economic systems and to shed light on the implications of fragmented institutional systems. Reconciling the parallel institutional systems is also unlikely to deliver the intended results in a short time; however, there may not be any better alternatives. Some of these conflicts are, in reality, low-tech, sporadic skirmishes and armed attacks. Additionally, the transaction costs for services provided by the traditional institutions are much lower than the services provided by the state. For these and other reasons, the state-society gap lies at the heart of the problems faced by many states. Africa: Laws and Legal Systems - Geography The introduction of alien economic and political systems by the colonial state relegated Africas precolonial formal institutions to the sphere of informality, although they continued to operate in modified forms, in part due to the indirect rule system of colonialism and other forms of reliance by colonial states on African institutions of governance to govern their colonies. One-sided violence against unarmed civilians has also spiked up since 2011.4, These numbers require three major points of clarification. Prominent among these Sudanic states was the Soninke Kingdom of Ancient Ghana. Poor gender relations: Traditional institutions share some common weaknesses. The Aqils (elders) of Somalia and the chiefs in Kenya are good examples. To learn more, visit 2007 Relevance of African Traditional Institutions of Governance The Ibo village assembly in eastern Nigeria, the Eritrean village Baito (assembly), the council of elders (kiama) of the Kikuyu in Kenya, and the kaya elders of the Mijikenda in the coast of Kenya are among well-known examples where decisions are largely made in a consensual manner of one kind or another (Andemariam, 2017; Mengisteab, 2003). Other governance systems in the post-independence era and their unique features, if any. Africas rural communities, which largely operate under subsistent economic systems, overwhelmingly adhere to the traditional institutional systems while urban communities essentially follow the formal institutional systems, although there are people who negotiate the two institutional systems in their daily lives. A long-term route to political and economic success has been comprehensively documented by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their global study of why nations fail or succeed. It seems clear that Africas conflict burden declined steadily after the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s owing to successful peace processes outstripping the outbreak of new conflicts; but the burden has been spiking up again since then. There is one constitution and one set of laws and rules for ordinary people, and quite other for the ruling family and the politically connected elite. As a United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) study (2007) notes, traditional leaders often operate as custodians of customary law and communal assets, especially land. Oftentimes, however, they contradict each other, creating problems associated with institutional incoherence. Poor leadership can result in acts of commission or omission that alienate or disenfranchise geographically distinct communities. African political elites are more determined than ever to shape their own destiny, and they are doing so. The earliest known recorded history arose in Ancient Egypt . Institutions represent an enduring collection of formal laws and informal rules, customs, codes of conduct, and organized practices that shape human behavior and interaction. In African-style democracy the rule of law is only applicable to ordinary people unconnected to the governing party leadership or leader. Features Of Traditional Government Administration. It is unlikely, however, that such harmony can be brought about by measures that aim to abolish the traditional system, as was attempted by some countries in the aftermath of decolonization. Relatively unfettered access to the internet via smart phones and laptops brings informationand hence potential powerto individuals and groups about all kinds of things: e.g., market prices, the views of relatives in the diaspora, conditions in the country next door, and the self-enrichment of corrupt officials. It may be good to note, as a preliminary, that African political systems of the past dis played considerable variety. The initial constitutions and legal systems were derived from the terminal colonial era. Against this backdrop, where is African governance headed? In Sierra Leone, paramount chiefs are community leaders and their tasks involve - among others - protecting community safety and resolving disputes. 2. A strict democracy would enforce the "popular vote" total over the entire United States. Traditional Types of Government: Definitions, Strengths & Weaknesses This layer of institutions is the subject of inquiry of this article. Changes in economic and political systems trigger the need for new institutional systems to manage the new economic and political systems, while endurance of economic and political systems foster durability of existing institutional systems. The express prohibition in the African Charter against discrimination according to ethnic group constitutes a major step for the continent as a whole because the realization of this right will lead to greater economic opportunity for those people not of the same kinship as the head of government. Traditional leaders would also be able to use local governance as a platform for exerting some influence on national policymaking. Traditional affairs. Ethiopias monarchy ended in 1974 while the other three remain, with only the king of Swaziland enjoying absolute power. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. List of African Union member states by political system (2005), customary systems operating outside of the state regime are often the dominant form of regulation and dispute resolution, covering up to 90% of the population in parts of Africa. Non-official institutions and civil society may have very different ideas from the national government on this issue, leading to debates about legitimacy. 2. Should inclusion be an ongoing process or a single event? These circumstances can generate an authoritarian reflex and the temptation to circle the wagons against all sources of potential opposition. A third argument claims that chieftaincy heightens primordial loyalties, as chiefs constitute the foci of ethnic identities (Simwinga quoted in van Binsberger, 1987, p. 156). General Overviews. The traditional African religions (or traditional beliefs and practices of African people) are a set of highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions . African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications. Fitzpatrick 'Traditionalism and Traditional Law' Journal of African Law, Vol. This fragmentation is also unlikely to go away anytime soon on its own. In this respect, they complement official courts that are often unable to provide court services to all their rural communities. Introduction. Similarly, the process of conflict resolution is undertaken in an open assembly and is intended to reconcile parties in conflict rather than to merely punish offenders. Maintenance of law and order: the primary and most important function of the government is to maintain law and order in a state. Although much has been lost in the shadows and fogs of a time before people created written accounts, historians . The customary structures of governance of traditional leadership were put aside or transformed. The endurance of traditional institutions entails complex and paradoxical implications for contemporary Africas governance. This short article does not attempt to provide answers to all these questions, which require extensive empirical study.
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