“Representation Reconsidered: Ethnic Politics and Africa ’s Governance Institutions in Comparative Perspective”: Workshop, July 23 to August 6, 2011
Sponsored by the American Political Science Association and the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi , Kenya
The American Political Science Association (APSA) and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) University of Nairobi, are pleased to announce a call for applications from individuals who would like to participate in a workshop on “Representation Reconsidered: Ethnic Politics and Africa’s Governance Institutions in Comparative Perspective” from July 23 to August 6, 2011. The Workshop will be held at the Institute of Development Studies in Nairobi , Kenya . The organizers, with a grant secured from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will cover all the costs of participation (travel, lodging, meals, daily stipend, and materials) for up to 23 qualified applicants (20 African, 3 U.S. ). The working language of the workshop is English. Professional fluency in English is absolutely required.
The workshop leaders are Todd Eisenstadt (American University, USA), Carl LeVan (American University, USA), Josephine Ahikire (Makerere University, Uganda), and Karuti Kanyinga (Institute for Development Studies, Kenya).
Participants
The workshop is targeted principally at university and college faculty in the social sciences residing in Africa , who have completed their Ph.D. and are in the early stages of their academic career. Up to three U.S. advanced Ph.D. students will also be accepted. All Workshop Fellows must be actively engaged in an empirical research project in political science or an area of inquiry related to politics. Fellows should be working on a manuscript, paper, book chapter, or article that can be developed during the workshop into an eventual article-length publication.
Workshop Theme
Over a period of two weeks workshop fellows will study three interrelated themes under the banner of “Representation Reconsidered: Ethnic Politics and Africa ’s Governance Institutions in Comparative Perspective.” The first theme explores different philosophical bases for representative democracy. Participants will evaluate the merits of different forms of representation. Readings will touch upon African understandings of political liberalism, the argument for collective rights within historical nationalist struggles, contemporary surveys on identity, and the broader theories of multiculturalism. Leveraging the area expertise of the workshop leaders, seminars will examine comparative cases from Latin America and Africa which share common obstacles to democratic development.
The second workshop theme considers how different democratic models respond to the core questions and theories of representation. Consociationalism, power sharing, and the more inclusive democratic models promote representation as a means of honoring citizen preferences, mitigating conflict, and improving the quality of democracy. These models advance a broad understanding of the interrelated nature of institutions and simplify the task of analyzing features of political party systems, federalism, and electoral systems. A critical examination of this research identifies potential tensions between representation and accountability, and asks whether inclusive models privilege democratic representation at the expense of other democratic goals.
The third theme focuses on how different models of political representation affect public policy performance and resource distribution. Participants will empirically reconsider the consequences of consociationalism, multi-party coalitions, and “consensus” governments. Rather than merely considering conflict amelioration, sessions will draw attention to clientelism, corruption, the construction of inefficient informal institutions, and failures to deliver public goods.
For any question regarding the workshop, the contact person is Mrs. Helena Saele, (202)483-2512. Email: africaworkshops@apsanet.org
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