European Union and democratization of Africa: the case of Ghana, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Morocco (1990-2010)

A research report submitted to the School of Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Degree of Master of Arts in International Relations by coursework and research report.In the early 1990s, issues of democracy, good governance, security and human rights became more prominent in the international system and attained space in various policy documents. The period has been characterized by massive waves of transitions from one-party to multi-party political systems, which can be described as global democratic revolutions. Such democratic revolutions or movement towards democracy was not confined to one territory; rather it was a worldwide phenomenon that reached many parts of the world such as Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. It involved radical political transitions due to pressure to promote political liberalization and foster democratic reforms in most of these countries. The push for democratization was led by various democratic actors such as the European Union, United States of America, Britain, Norway, Canada and institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank among others. The waves and calls for democratization by these actors have resulted in various democratic transition outcomes in which some of the recipient countries of external democratic support are left stuck in the process while some of them have completely failed and reverted back to authoritarian or oppressive regimes. Countries that have failed in the democratization process experience various consequences such as limited access to the media, fragmented opposition political parties, fraudulent electoral activities, violence and poor citizen participation. These shortfalls reflect gaps or inconsistencies in the outcomes of the democratization process that needs to be investigated. This study looks at the factors causing inconsistencies in the outcomes of the process

Highway to Masculinity

The essay analyzes Erik Kripke\u27s television show Supernatural, in which gender roles and relationships, archetypes, symbolism, and the inner psyche function to both promote and challenge hegemonic masculinity. Several sources were used to support findings, including the complexity of gender roles, the effects of showcasing hegemonic masculinity, and what we learn from such depictions. Supernatural presents a strong, bonded relationship between two heterosexual men. This representation is important because of the archetypes that the main characters portray. Since it is impossible for one man to be a perfect man, the brothers Sam and Dean represent the juxtaposition of complementary masculinities. I argue that the show depicts the importance of a durable friendship and the complicated workings of grief and trauma but it also addresses the ways men are supposed to process these emotions. Thus providing us with a helpful guideline

Green power and performance in global environmental governance

From 10 to 11 June 2013, the Global Green Growth Summit will take place in Seoul. Policymakers, international organizations and experts from various fi elds will once again discuss how the transformation toward a green economy and more sustainable development paths can be managed. Global environmental governance is characterized by a high number of international activities, but actual environmental outcomes vary. The ability to develop green political and economic power that leads to bett er environmental performance is not restricted to industrialized countries anymore. China, South Korea, Brazil and India are slowly catching up, while some small developing nations have also begun to generate power for a green change. The heterogeneous behavior of the emerging economies undermines their green power in central environmental regimes. This heterogeneity is refl ected in their differing development of green power outside of the internationally negotiated treaties. "Green power" refers to the ability to successfully combine technological capabilities, environmental innovations, political and economic power. None of the central actors currently possess it in a way that positions them as leaders in smart global environmental governance. In the climate negotiations, China and the United States are in a balance of power that is negative for the environment. China has surpassed the United States in the use of clean technology. However, it still lags behind in achieving bett er environmental outcomes. Costa Rica, Norway and Ecuador have accumulated some green power in spite of their respective economic sizes, bolstering it with good environmental performance. Nonetheless, in the global distribution of power, this is hardly relevant. Neither Europe nor Germany currently uses its full green power potential. Both are restricted by hesitant behavior, a drop in new investments in clean technology and innovation as well as China’s structural power gain

Who drives change? Comparing the evolution of domestic climate governance in India and South Africa

This article compares and contrasts the nature and scope of change in the domestic climate governance of India and South Africa between 2007 and 2010. It identifies the actors and networks driving these change processes by applying the concepts of “communities of practice” and a simple, resource exchange–based network. Small communities of practice promoting collective learning, trust, and identity building capture the trends and actor relations well for the South African case. More simple, business-driven networks could be identified in India. Using survey and interview data, this article finds that both countries have generally not undergone a structural, transformative change, yet that includes the collective learning of new norms and values. Differences exist for more specific parts of climate governance. The number of participating actors, the character of the scientific landscape, and the centrality of a governmental actor with a certain knowledge and attitude within a network shape these different change processes

Use of remote sensing to determine rainwater harvesting sites for piped micro-irrigation schemes in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe

The eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, particularly Chimanimani District, are endowed with natural water bodies such as springs, pools, wetlands, puddles and river systems, which are potential sources of water for irrigated farming. Despite this, water challenges continue to exist due to rainfall seasonality and lack of suitable water harvesting sites. This calls for solutions to harness water in long-lasting sources to support the piped micro-irrigation schemes. These schemes are pillars in agricultural interventions such as horticulture, livestock farming, fish farming and beekeeping. This study therefore, determined potential rainwater harvesting (RWH) sites in Chimanimani District using geospatial techniques. Water pixels from Landsat 8 images were extracted using the normalised difference moisture index (NDMI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Potential RWH sites were classified into land-based zones, wetlands and natural water bodies. Findings show that land-based zones cover 27.53%, wetlands cover 24.65% and water bodies cover 6.11% of the district. The study also indicates that integrating geographic information systems with remote-sensing tools is a useful approach in identifying RWH sites. Thus, this study provided a spatially explicit approach and presents a suitability map for RWH in Chimanimani District

Geographic Information Systems and the Nonprofit Sector: The Last Frontier?

This is an exploratory study examining the predictors of geographic information systems (GIS) adoption among nonprofit organizations. A variety of organization, system, and environment characteristics are measured via a survey administered to 72 managers of nonprofit organizations. Comparisons are made between GIS and website adoption by these organizations. Results indicate that nonprofit managers view characteristics related to GIS differently than characteristics related to websites. GIS adoption is also related to the size of the information systems (IS) staff, risk propensity, and ability to predict changes in demand

Favouritism in Uganda: How the political economy impacts micro and small enterprise development

Micro and small enterprises (MSE) build the vast majority of businesses in Uganda. This contribution shows that their economic development is not only hampered by ‘normal’ business constraints faced by many MSEs in developing countries. The system of favouritism prevailing in Uganda’s political economy disproportionally affects the MSE sector, impacting the country’s economic development to some extent as well. This contribution introduces a new concept of political economy for MSE development based on (1) corruption/rent-seeking, (2) a possible political bias in economic policy towards larger businesses, reflected in the institutional support structure (3) the economic and lobbying power of big enterprises vs. MSEs, (4) and a potentially biased tax system. The concept is applied to the Uganda under Museveni’s rule in the period 1994-2014, giving empirical insights that show how political and economic development are intertwined and to what extent this affects MSE development

Collective Self-Blockade? Why the UN Climate Conference in Paris Could Fail

On 19 and 20 April 2015, the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate took place in Washington, DC. Industrialised countries and emerging economies are meeting in multiple forums this year to explore their positions in advance of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December. The preparations for an effective global climate change agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015 are proving to be difficult. While the BRICS states, the United States, and the EU are verbally proclaiming their commitment, they often impede themselves as a group due to national interests. Against this backdrop, it is necessary to consider alternatives to a global but weak climate change agreement. Of the key countries and groups, only the EU, the United States, and Russia have submitted their intended nationally determined contributions to climate protection to the United Nations. The political approach taken by the emerging economies is being influenced by international expectations and national constellations. Due to their internal preferences, neither the United States nor China are interested in a strong, obligatory climate agreement at the global level. This makes a global consensus unlikely. Bilateral, public–private, and market-based solutions are easier to implement politically than a new global agreement. The renewed failure to reach a global climate agreement could lead to other options for action. Repeated and complicated negotiations at the global level will certainly not bring about the changes necessary to reach the 2°C goal on time. Three scenarios for the future are possible: The chaotic and multi-stakeholder international politics of climate change will continue. Climate clubs made up of key emitters will become trailblazers and will impose sanctions on non-members. A citizens’ climate politics in the sense of the "Copenhagen Theory of Change" will supplement or replace the great transformation from above. The EU and Germany could use meetings such as the G7 or the Major Economies Forum to discuss the potential of climate clubs and could set the latter in motion should the UN Climate Conference in Paris fail