Rethinking Institutions, Processes and Development in Africa

Book excerpt: African scholarship concerning the nexus between institutions and development is still dominated by the economic perspective of development despite the emergence of the humanistic perspective of development. The humanistic perspective is a more embracing, encompassing, and comprehensive view of development than its economic counterpart and offers a better explanation of the African situation. It is essential to examine the relationships between democratic political institutions and human development. This collection examines democratic institutions and processes in post-independence Africa. The contributors examine the political institutional processes in post-colonial Africa, evaluating the workings of institutions such as education, bureaucracy, interest groups, trade unions, and problems of enforcements in Africa. It also discusses the relevance of creative arts for political socialization as well as the role effects of privatization on service delivery in contemporary African societies.