The Failure of Democracy in the Republic of Congo / / John F. Clark.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Lynne Rienner Press Complete eBook-Package 2013-2000
• VerfasserIn: Clark, John F.,
• Place / Publishing House: Boulder : : Lynne Rienner Publishers, , [2022]; ©2008
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (309 p.)

Why did the democratic experiment launched in the Republic of Congo in 1991 fail so dramatically in 1997? Why has it not been seriously resumed since then? In tackling these complex questions, John Clark provides a thorough analysis of more than fifteen years of Congolese politics. Clark explores a series of logical hypotheses regarding why democracy failed to take root in Congo, moving from political culture to economic performance, ethnoregional identities, French foreign policy, the role of militias, and institutional design. He also discusses the country's present "electoral authoritarian" regime. His conclusions shed light not only on the nature of Congolese politics, but also on the utility of the scientific approach to understanding the social world.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Map of the Republic of Congo: Regions and Ethnic Groups -- 1 The Republic of Congo: Failure of a Democratic Experiment -- 2 Structure, Agency, and the Collapse of Democracy -- 3 History and Political Culture as Context -- 4 Political Economy and the Trajectory of Multiparty Politics -- 5 The Challenge of Ethnic and Regional Identities -- 6 The Army and Militias: Forces in Conflict -- 7 The Constitution and Political Institutions -- 8 The Complex Impact of French Policy -- 9 Understanding the Failed Experiment in Congo -- 10 After the Experiment: Electoral Authoritarianism Since 1997 -- Acronyms -- References -- Index -- About the Book