Political Science Y673
Conflict Resolution and Self-Governance in Africa (And Other Regions)
Michael McGinnis and Amos Sawyer
Spring Semester 2003; Section 3604
Meets Tuesday 4:00-6:00 PM, 513 N. Park (Workshop)
http://php.indiana.edu/~mcginnis/y673_sp3.htm
Revised August 26, 2003
Contact Information:
Michael McGinnis, 366 Woodburn, Office Hours T,Th 9:30-11:00 and by appt., 855-8784, mcginnis@indiana.edu
Amos Sawyer, 211 513 N. Park (Park 1), Office Hours by appointment only, 855-0441, asawyer@indiana.edu
Jackie Schofield, Course Secretary, 855-7704, jschofie@indiana.edu
For Updated Information, see On Course, https://oncourse.iu.edu or http://php.indiana.edu/~mcginnis/y673_sp3.htm
Course Description
Recent conflicts in some African countries have inspired assertions that Africa faces a "crisis of governance." When so many national and international institutions become unable to cope with these conflicts, perhaps it is time to look elsewhere, to build on effective mechanisms of conflict resolution and governance more firmly grounded in African cultures and histories. This seminar explores an ongoing research program applying the theoretical concepts and analytical tools of institutional analysis to better understand the capabilities and limitations of indigenous mechanisms of dispute resolution. Several of these research projects remain works-in-progress, as befits a seminar sponsored by an institution known as the "Workshop." Indeed, some of these research projects remain in a very early stage of development, for the reading list given below includes a few papers that have not yet been written. But we will also examine completed research projects, as well as some classic works directly relevant to the research program of institutional analysis.
Each participant in the seminar is expected to pursue his/her own research project, to culminate in an original research paper to be presented in a mini-conference held at the end of the semester. Each student will complete a research paper on some aspect of indigenous, traditional, informal or other methods of dispute resolution and governance. Assigned readings will focus on dispute institutions in selected areas of Africa, but students interested in other geographical regions are encouraged to complete research papers applying these same concepts elsewhere in the developing world. Preliminary findings will be discussed in class, and the final papers will be presented at a mini-conference held at the end of the semester.
Reading materials will include works by scholars in the U.S. and Africa associated with the newly formed Consortium for Self-Governance in Africa. These works will explore the importance of language and culture in the development of institutions for local self-governance. We will investigate the extent to which indigenous, traditional, and informal institutions can be used as a new foundation for democratic forms of local governance in Africa (and by extension throughout the developing world). Since virtually all modern states are based on the Hobbesian vision of top-down, unitary sovereignty, our efforts to shift attention to a bottom-up, polycentric view of governance has powerful implications for the future of Africa (and other regions).
Two-Semester Sequence in Institutional Analysis and Development
This seminar is part of a two-semester sequence on Institutional Analysis and Development that has been taught each year by Workshop-affiliated scholars for more than two decades. Typically, these two seminars have been divided by level of analysis, with micro-level analyses covered in one semester and more macro-level analyses in the other semester. However, this year marks a bit of a departure in this particular institution. Last fall semester's course introduced students to the overall methodological approach of institutional analysis, including micro, macro, and, especially, cross-level analyses. As stated above, this semester's course covers diverse applications of this general program of research to particular research projects. Particular attention will be given to the current projects undertaken by the instructor, but other projects will also be considered.
Students may take either of these two courses separately for credit, or in either order. However, students taking the spring semester course who have not completed the fall semester version should have sufficient background in relevant material in political science, public policy, economics, or related fields. The reading list given below includes a few background readings that are particularly relevant to this course material, but there will be other works that students need to consult on their own. In addition, students and other seminar participants will have to pursue those literatures of most direct interest to their own research project. Please contact the instructor if you have any questions about additional readings.
Seminar Rules and Expectations
Participants in this seminar will soon discover that it is a bit unusual. It can be a large group, including post-docs, visiting scholars, and other faculty members in addition to the usual arrangement of instructor and graduate students. Discussion can be pretty wide-ranging, and may tend to be dominated by the more senior members of the group. However, be assured that your instructor will provide students with plenty of opportunities to participate. For exactly this reason, students enrolled for credit will be asked to comment upon the assigned readings in bi-weekly memos. Be warned that the instructor uses these memos to help organize the day's discussion, and that authors of these memos should come to class fully prepared to discuss the topics raised in their memos.
Any seminar participant is welcome to introduce any relevant topic for further discussion. The instructor will, however, use his discretion as discussion leader to direct discussion to focus on particular topics, especially those covered in the assigned readings. In addition, all seminar participants are encouraged to use the distribution list to make more extensive comments or suggestions for further analysis.
Memos. In order to facilitate class discussion, students will be asked to submit short memos commenting on some important aspect of that week’s readings or on other issues of basic concern (including exploring ideas for their research paper). Please do not summarize the readings! Instead, move directly to making some important point, worthy of further discussion in class. The class will be divided into two groups, with each group assigned memos for alternating weeks. (Details will be worked out during class.) Students are encouraged to keep their comments in these memos (NOT papers!) brief and to the point. Each should be able to be printed on a single page (with a reasonable font size!). It has been our experience that weekly memos greatly enhance the quality of class discussions by giving students an opportunity to articulate their responses. Clearly, these memos must be completed and distributed before the time class meets; specific deadlines will be negotiated by the class as a whole.
Mini-Conference Paper. Each student (and other seminar participants) will complete an original research paper for presentation at the Mini-Conference, to be held Saturday, May 3, and Monday afternoon, May 5. Here's the unusual part: Someone other than the author will be assigned the responsibility to present and comment on each paper! The author will have an opportunity to respond to these comments, and the remainder of the time will be available for general discussion of that paper and the more general issues it may raise. All comments and criticisms should be constructive, and each author should be concerned about how to revise and improve the quality of his or her paper after the seminar ends, with the goal of moving the work to publication. The Mini-Conference is a way of learning to participate in an intellectual community and coming to appreciate the general coherence of intellectual discourse. Since copies of each paper will be distributed to all Mini-Conference participants, papers must be completed well in advance. We give students two options: (1) If you turn in your completed paper by the due date (April 22), in class, the Workshop will pay all photocopying costs. (2) If you want an extra week, you will have to submit 30 copies by class time, April 29. (These deadlines may be revised slightly, depending on later developments and/or negotiations.) Students will be asked to submit abstracts or brief status reports on their mini-conference paper project in time for discussion during class March 25 and April 1.
Grading. Those seminar participants who have enrolled in this course for credit may be interested in knowing how their final grades will be determined. This evaluation will be based on two equally-weighted components: (1) the quality of a student's mini-conference paper and (2) the quality of that student's understanding of the assigned course material, as evidenced in memos and in comments during class discussion. Please contact the instructor if you have any further questions.
Required Texts
Each of the following books has been ordered at the IU and TIS bookstores. Copies of these and other related books will be placed on reserve in the Workshop Library (3rd floor of Park 1).
Jeffrey Herbst, States and Power in Africa, Princeton University Press, 2000.
Claude Ake, Democracy and Development in Africa, Brookings Institution, 1995.
Students are also strongly encouraged to read or re-read Alexis De Tocqueville, Democracy in America. This classic work remains one of the deepest inspirations for institutional analysis as practiced by Workshop-affiliated scholars. Although we have not specifically assigned readings from this book, at various points throughout the semester we may recommend specific portions of this great work.
Copies of other assignments will be distributed in class or will be made available on-line. Seminar participants are encouraged to make use of the Workshop library and other resources to begin to explore the ever-expanding inter-disciplinary literature on institutional analysis.
Students seeking additional background information on African politics, institutional analysis, or related topics, are invited to check the volumes kept on reserve in the Workshop library. A list of recommended background readings will be distributed in class. The instructors will be happy to make other suggestions, individual tailored to the student's interest. Just ask!
Schedule of Topics and Reading Assignments
(Subject to revision; check On Course for updates)
General Schedule:
Weeks 1-4: Presentations on Background Material
Weeks 5-7: Participation by CSGA Visitors
Weeks 8-9: Other CSGA Topics: Language and Civil Society
Spring Break
Weeks 10-11: Initial Reports on Student Projects
Weeks 12-15: Complexities of Contemporary African Conflicts
Mini-Conference to be held the Saturday before and Monday afternoon of Finals Week
Week 1. (Jan. 14) INTRODUCTION TO INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS
CSGA Materials (Mission Statement, Research Themes, Conference Schedule, and Summary of Discussions)
Ostrom, Vincent, Charles M. Tiebout, and Robert Warren. 1961. "The Organization of Government in Metropolitan Areas: A Theoretical Inquiry," American Political Science Review 55 (Dec.): 831‑42. Reprinted in Michael McGinnis, ed., Polycentricity and Local Public Economies
Crawford, Sue E.S., and Elinor Ostrom. 1995. “A Grammar of Institutions.” American Political Science Review 89(3) (Sept.): 582‑600. Reprinted in Michael McGinnis, ed., Polycentric Games and Institutions
McGinnis, Michael. 2002. “Identifying Research Questions for Institutional Analysis: The DECIDER Classification Scheme,” revised 2003.
McGinnis, Michael. 2003. "Seminar Overview and Introduction to Workshop and Institutional Analysis," PowerPoint presentation.
These readings should provide seminar participants with basic background material on the Workshop and on the Consortium for Self-Governance in Africa. Much of this material will be summarized in a presentation to be made during this class session. The CSGA materials were prepared for the initial conference held in Bloomington in 2002; the current seminar is explicitly designed to build upon the foundations for analysis laid at that conference.
Week 2. (Jan. 21) METHODS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION: INTERNATIONAL AND INDIGENOUS
Follett, Mary Parker. 1940. “Constructive Conflict.” In Dynamic Administration, ed. H. C. Metcalf and L. Urwick, 30-49. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.
"Indigenous Conflict Management Mechanisms," in A Toolbox to Respond to Conflicts and Build Peace, Creative Associates International, Inc. (CAII), http://www.caii-dc.com/ghai/toolbox4.htm (undated; accessed December 30, 2001).
Menkhaus, Ken. 2000. “Traditional Conflict Management in Contemporary Somalia,” in I. William Zartman, ed., Traditional Cures for Modern Conflicts: African Conflict “Medicine”, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, pp. 183-199.
McGinnis, Michael. 2003. "Conflict Resolution and Institutional Analyses: An Overview of Relevant Literatures," PowerPoint presentation.
Many, many different frameworks have been used to study processes of bargaining, negotiations, mediation, etc. After reviewing some of the most relevant frameworks, we will move towards development of an integrative framework for analysis that builds upon the tools of institutional analysis as developed by scholars associated with the Workshop. This framework will be further developed and explored throughout the remainder of this semester (and, if all goes well, for many years beyond). Of particular importance for our purposes is the surprisingly close connection among the seemingly unrelated topics of international diplomacy, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes in the U.S., and indigenous traditions of resolving inter-group conflict. We hope to show that the complementarity among these research topics is really quite remarkable.
Week 3. (Jan. 28) LEGAL PLURALISM IN THE COLONIAL ERA AND BEYOND
Ekeh, Peter P. 1975. “Colonialism and the Two Publics in Africa: A Theoretical Statement.” Comparative Studies in Society and History. 17:91-112.
Asiwaju, A. I. 1991. "Law in African Borderlands: The Lived Experience of the Yoruba Astride the Nigeria-Dahomey Border," in Kristin Mann and Richard Roberts, ed., Law in Colonial Africa, Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, pp. 224-238.
Ayittey, George B. N. 1991. “The Indigenous Legal Institutions,” in Indigenous African Institutions, Ardsley-on-Hudson, New York: Transnational Publishers, chapter 2, pp. 39-69.
Moore, Sally Falk. 2001. “Certainties Undone: Fifty Turbulent Years of Legal Anthropology, 1949-1999,” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (N.S.) 7, 95-116.
Legal pluralism is a topic of research that overlaps the fields of anthropology and legal scholarship. Yet it has also suffered from controversy, misunderstandings, and neglect. What has been missing in this work is a realization of the potential benefits of polycentricity, along with its associated limitations. After an initial review of important works in this research literature, we hope to lay the foundations for future applications to specific contexts.
It is important to emphasize that we are NOT seeking to recapture or recreate the lost glory of pre-colonial African cultures. Instead, our focus is upon the actual ways in which African peoples have learned to cope with their changing social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental circumstances, in the colonial period and especially in more recent years. Peoples throughout the continent of Africa (as well as peoples in all world regions) continue to exhibit a boundless creativity in crafting institutional responses to changing problems. As institutional analysts it is our task to better understand the range of potential institutional choice, and to comparatively evaluate the consequences of alternative institutional arrangements.
Week 4. (Feb. 4) ORIGINS AND NATURE OF THE GOVERNANCE CRISIS IN AFRICA
Doornbos, Martin, 1990. “The African State in Academic Debate: Retrospect and Prospect.” The Journal of Modern African Studies. 28(2)179-198.
Ake, Claude. 1996. Democracy and Development in Africa. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution.
Wunsch, James S. 2000. "Refounding the African State and Local Self-Governance: The Neglected Foundation," Journal of Modern African Studies 38 (3), 487-509.
Scholars and policy advocates have provided a vast array of explanations for the "crisis of governance" facing many African peoples in recent decades. After reviewing some of the most important issues in these debates, we turn our attention to a particular interpretation that we are confident deserves additional attention. In particular, we hope to show how new patterns of governance can be built upon the foundations of already-existing practices, primarily at the local level, in many areas of Africa. But it is important to not idolize traditional, pre-colonial practices. All institutional arrangements have their advantages and their deficiencies, and it is incumbent upon us, as institutional analysts, to develop a better means of articulating the characteristics of alternative institutions. To do so, however, we need to begin with a better understanding of the actual range of practices that exist in Africa today, practices developed by peoples learning to cope with the pressures of colonialism, post-colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism, capitalism, globalization, and environmental pressure. Herein lies the crux of the research task ahead of us.
Week 5. (Feb. 11) ETHNICITY AND CONFLICT IN AFRICA
Nnoli, Okwudiba. 2003. “Ethnic Violence in Nigeria: A Historical Perspective.” [A copy of this paper is available to participants in this seminar from On Course.]
Gurr, Ted Robert. 2000. “Ethnic Warfare on the Wane,” Foreign Affairs 79 (3), 52-64.
Mamdani, Mahmood. 2001. When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and The Genocide in Rwanda. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. “Conclusion: Political Reform after Genocide.”
Adedeji, Adebayo, ed. 1999. Comprehending and Mastering African Conflicts: The Search for Sustainable and Good Governance, London & New York: Zed Books in association with African Centre for Development and Strategic Studies (ACDESS), Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, chapters 1, 17, pp. 3-21, 319-337.
Okwudiba Nnoli is scheduled to give the Workshop Colloquium at Noon, Monday, Feb. 10. (Seminar participants are encouraged to attend if possible.) We will examine whatever paper he presents there, as well as any other material that seems appropriate for this topic. Although ethnicity is typically seen as a source of conflict in Africa, we are confident that the social capital that ethnicity represents can be put to more positive uses, if we can only help peoples figure out better ways to build upon their current capabilities.
Week 6. (Feb. 18) PROBLEMS WITH DECENTRALIZATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Gboyega, Alex. 2003. "Democratization and Local Governance in Nigeria Since 1999." [A copy of this paper is available to participants in this seminar from On Course.]
Ayo, S. Bamidele, 2002. Public Administration and the Conduct of Community Affairs Among the Yoruba in Nigeria, San Francisco: ICS Press, forthcoming.
Adedeji, Abebayo, and Bamidele Ayo, eds., 2000. People-Centered Democracy in Nigeria? The Search for Alternative Systems of Governance at the Grassroots, Ibadan and Ijebu-Ode: Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) Plc and African Centre for Development and Strategic Studies, chapters 1 and 10, 1-18, 129-138.
Alex Gboyega is scheduled to give the Workshop Colloquium at Noon, Monday, Feb. 17. (Seminar participants are encouraged to attend if possible.) We will examine whatever paper he presents there, as well as any other material that seems appropriate for this topic. Gboyega has long been concerned with the limitations of decentralization, as typically practiced in African contexts. Dele Oyo, who passed away last year, has provided us with an important analysis of the limitations and unrealized potential of local governance in Nigeria. As we shall see in this week's discussion, Nigeria can be a crucial example for the rest of Africa, either for good or for ill.
Week 7. (Feb. 25) COPING WITH REGIONAL CONFLICT SYSTEMS
Sawyer, Amos. 2002. "Self-Organizing Potentials for Social Re-Ordering", chapter 3, Crisis of Governance in the Mano River Basin Area, book manuscript.
Sawyer, Amos. 2003. "Violent Conflicts and Governance Challenges in West Africa: The Case of the Mano River Basin Area," draft manuscript.
Abdullah, Ibrahim. 1998. "Bush Path to destruction: the origin and character of the Revolutionary United Front/Sierra Leone," Journal of Modern African Studies (June 1998) v. 36, no. 2 pp203-235
Amos Sawyer is scheduled to give the Workshop Colloquium at Noon, Monday, Feb. 24. (Seminar participants are encouraged to attend if possible.) We will examine as much of his book manuscript as we can. Amos has long been involved with efforts to bring peace to his troubled land of Liberia, but that cannot be done without a concurrent resolution of conflicts in the broader region. His analysis draws out the very important connections among conflicts and conflict resolution institutions operating at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
Week 8. (March 4) ISSUES OF LANGUAGE AND GOVERNANCE
Obeng, Samuel and Beverly Hartford eds. Political Independence With Linguistic Servitude: The Politics About Languages in the Developing World. Hauppage, New York: Nova Science.
Chapter 1. “The Politics About Languages”
Chapter 5 “For the Most Part, They Paid No Attention to our Native Languages:” The Politics about Languages in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Chapter 6 “My Audience Tells Me in Which Tongue I should Sing:” The Politics About Languages in African Literatures.
Prah, Kwesi, K. ed. Between Distinction & Extinction: The Harmonisation & Standardization of African Languages. Selections TBA
Self-governance cannot occur unless people share a common medium of communication, and the nature of that language can shape the processes of governance in deep and subtle ways. This week's discussion will focus on the works of two scholars intimately concerned with this topic.
Week 9. (March 11) CIVIL SOCIETY, CITIZENSHIP, AND DEMOCRATIZATION BEYOND ELECTIONS
Barkan, Joel D., Michael L. McNulty, and M.A.O. Ayeni. 1991. “‘Hometown’ Voluntary Associations, Local Development, and the Emergence of Civil Society in Western Nigeria,” Journal of Modern African Studies, 29 (3), 457-480.
Orvis, Stephen. 2001. “Civil Society in Africa or African Civil Society,” Journal of Asian and African Studies 36 (1), 17-38.
Hyden, Goran. 1999. “Governance and the Reconstitution of Political Order,” in Richard Joseph, ed., State, Conflict, and Democracy in Africa, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, pp. 179-195.
Gibson, Clark C. 2002. “Of Waves and Ripples: Democracy and Political change in Africa in the 1990s.” Annual Review of Political Science, v.5, pp. 201-221.
This week's readings direct our attention to aspects of democratization and self-governance that have more long-lasting effects that the presence of competitive multi-party elections. We will pay particular attention to the relevance of such concepts as civil society and social capital in the establishment and maintenance of democratic forms of self-governance.
SPRING BREAK
Week 10 (March 25) and Week 11 (April 1) Preliminary Student presentations
Summary reports will be distributed as available. Students should be prepared to summarize the topic of their research project in brief presentations of a few minutes at most. Our intention is that this initial look at the various research projects underway by seminar participants will reveal surprising connections and contrasts among what may have seemed like unrelated topics.
Week 12. (April 8) STATE EXPANSION AND CONFLICT
Herbst, Jeffrey. 2000. States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Ensminger, Jean. 1990. “Co-opting the Elders: The Political Economy of State Incorporation in Africa.” American Anthropologist 92:662-675.
Reno, William. 2000. "Shadow States and the Political Economy of Civil Wars," in Mats Berdal and David M. Malone, eds. 2000. Greed and Grievance: Economic Agendas in Civil Wars. Boulder: Lynne Rienner, pp. 43-68.
Jeffrey Herbst has recently put forward a provocative explanation for the limited growth of central authorities in the African context, both before and after colonialism. We will compare this important perspective to other views drawing from new institutional economics and related forms of institutional analysis.
Week 13. (April 15) UNDERSTANDING REBEL MOVEMENTS
Kalyvas, Stathis N. 2001. “‘New’ and ‘Old” Civil Wars: A Valid Distinction?” World Politics 54 (Oct.) 99-118.
Mkandawire, Thandika. 2002. “The Terrible Toll of Post-Colonial ‘Rebel Movements’ in Africa: Towards an Explanation of the Violence Against the Peasantry,” Journal of Modern African Studies 40 (2), 181-215.
McGinnis, Michael. 2003. "Organizing for Rebellion and for Peace: Lessons from the Horn of Africa," book prospectus. [Aug. 2003 revised version, Introduction to draft manuscript, Organizing for Rebellion and for Peace in the Horn of Africa: An Institutional Analysis of a Regional Conflict System]
Recent rebellions in Africa raise particularly difficult questions of interpretation and resolution. The authors of these works try to dig beneath the surface images of seeming irrationality and brutality to unveil deeper structural conditions. Before we can hope to resolve such conflicts, we need to have a fuller understanding of the institutional arrangements that first helped instigate and then perpetuate them. Reno's reading from last week is also especially pertinent to this topic.
Week 14. (April 22) PROBLEMS OF POST-CONFLICT RECONCILLIATION
Widner, Jennifer. 2001. “Courts and Democracy in Postconflict Transitions: A Social Scientist’s Perspective on the African Case,” American Journal of International Law, 95, 63-75.
We won't have much time to consider this important topic, especially since most seminar participants will have been focusing their attention on wrapping up their own research papers. Still, we need to give some consideration to what happens after a conflict has been resolved, at least in the sense that the pattern of violence has been broken. In such conditions, deep issues remain to be resolved, and peoples in Rwanda, South Africa, and elsewhere in Africa have been developing innovative ways of coping with the trauma of post-conflict transitions. (Seminar participants should also re-examine the chapter by Mamdani from week 5 above.)
Week 15. (April 29) CIVIC EDUCATION FOR SELF-GOVERNING SOCIETIES
Amos Sawyer and Michael McGinnis, The Bamako Conference on New Approaches to the Constitution of Order in Africa, Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, April 22, 2003.
Michael McGinnis, "Themes from Y673 Seminar," Power Point presentation, April 27, 2003. Revised version (incorporating changes suggested in class).
Reading materials to be distributed will include any available material on upcoming second CSGA conference, to be held in Mali in August 2003. We hope to turn our attention to implementation of a "training" program in civic education that would emphasize a community's local traditions of self-governance rather than reliance on politicians in the national capitals. This project is a long-term goal of the Consortium.
Seminar participants will also complete course evaluation forms during this session.
MINI-CONFERENCE: Schedule, Papers in PDF Format
Saturday, May 3, morning and afternoon
Monday afternoon, May 5
Seminar participants are encouraged to attend as many sessions as possible. Discussions are nearly always quite lively, even when the papers included in a particular panel do not seem to be related to each other. The mini-conference is a great way to finish up a seminar!
Copyright 2003, Indiana University