Authoritarianism, Democracy and De/Centralization in Federations: What Connections?

What is the impact of democracy/authoritarianism regime change on de/centralization in federations? Based on annual coding of three politico-institutional aspects, 22 policy fields, and five fiscal categories, this article maps de/centralization in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan from the establishment of their respective federal orders to 2020. It shows that de/centralization varies greatly across its different dimensions as well as between systems, with centralization being the dominant long-term trend but with significant exceptions, notably Pakistan. Regime change plays a major role in de/centralization but not always in line with the usual expectation that authoritarian regimes centralize and democratic ones decentralize. Other factors that cut across the authoritarianism/democracy divide, notably ideological orientations, have substantial impacts on de/centralization. By investigating long-run patterns of de/centralization in federations that have experienced democracy/authoritarianism regime change, the article sheds light on how federalism operates beyond consolidated democracies

Ethnic Minority Conflicts and Governance in Nigeria

Ethnic Minority Conflicts and Governance in Nigeria explores and analyses the underlying sources and salient features of recent ethnic minority conflicts in Nigeria, the largely controversial policies by which the Nigerian state has sought to contain these conflicts, and the prospects and preconditions for a more stable and equitable system of federal governance in the country. Through an insightful examination of two most recent minority conflicts in the country, the author probes the contemporary problems of ethnic minorities. He appraises the management of the conflicts by the State, and proffers appropriate policy responses for the resolution of the country's ethnic minority problems. The book is recommended to policy makers, students of history and political science, academicians and the general public

Ethnic Minorities and Political Turbulence in Kaduna State

Ethnic minority tensions and conflicts in southern Kaduna have probably engendered far more serious violence than any other forms of communal instability in recent Nigerian history. Because these conflicts and tensions have deep roots in northern Nigerian history, it is useful to examine this historical background before proceeding to discuss the complex facts and facets of ethnic minority political turbulence in Kaduna State today. Historical Background What is presently known as Kaduna Stat..

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Professor Dele Olowu and other members of the board of the United States Information Agency (USIA)-sponsored research project on Governance and Democratization in Nigeria, for their generous financial, intellectual and moral contribution towards the preparation of the research report on which this book is based. I owe a profound debt of gratitude to Professor Georges Herault of the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA) for agreeing to publish this work in order to fa..

Introduction

A key feature of recent Nigerian politics is the strident agitation by ethnic minority communities, and other presumably disadvantaged groups, over what is now widely referred to as the ”national question”. This study seeks to undertake an analysis of two of the most turbulent cases of ethnic minority tensions and protests in contemporary Nigeria, paying particular attention to their implications for federal democratic processes and prospects. The study’s two case-studies will involve recent ..

Background: The Chequered Fortunes of Ethnic Minorities under Changing Political Regimes in Nigeria

Nigeria’s current ethnic minority problems have been shaped by developments in the country’s recent and distant past. Indeed, by most accounts, the fortunes of Nigeria’s ethnic minorities have varied in tandem with changes in the internal territorial configuration of the federation, in the composition and orientation of successive federal government administrations, and in the rules for allocating centralized resources among the constituent governments and segments of the country. In the foll..

Postscript

On 10 November 1995, the Nigerian military government provoked considerable internal alienation and revulsion, as well as international condemnation and sanctions, when it hanged Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists for their alleged roles in the gruesome killings of four ”moderate” Ogoni leaders in May 1994. The executions of Saro-Wiwa and his associates were poignantly ironic and pathetic not only because they were carried out in spite of vigorous international pleas for clemency f..

Ethnic Minority Problems and Oil Politics: A Case Study of Rivers State

This section of the work discusses ethnic minority problems in contemporary Nigeria, with emphasis on the grievances of the oil-producing communities of Rivers State. The discussion is divided into three broad parts. The first identifies and disentangles the key grievances and demands of the oil-bearing ethnic minority communities. The second part highlights the agitational activities and politics that have developed around these demands. The third part examines the nature and impact of gover..