Women and family poultry production in rural Africa

Poultry production has existed for many generations in Africa, and almost every village household keeps chickens. The rural family poultry (RFP) are generally raised in free-range and/or backyard systems, which are traditional extensive husbandry systems. The development of an intensive poultry production has been the goal of the African government over the years. Despite efforts aiming for such goal, RFP is still very important in African countries that are both poor and net importers of food. It is a valuable asset because it can contribute significantly in alleviating poverty, securing food supply, and promoting gender equality. In view of this, interventions to improve RFP production systems should take into account the sociocultural issues, specifically gender-based aspects. It is noted that such interventions might, in addition to food security and poverty alleviation, also serve to promote gender equality. RFP development programs should be more women-friendly in order to facilitate women's participation, as RFP production in the region is generally a woman's business. Moreover, efforts to empower village women has to be envisaged cautiously as there is a serious risk of men taking over once the poultry sector becomes more profitable.     

Presidential power and democratization by elections in Africa

Do elections in and of themselves provide mechanisms for democratization? The “democratization by elections” thesis has been challenged, yet scholars still differ over its substantive effect. Some of the disagreement is over the specific outcome of interest, with proponents advocating for a narrower definition of “democratization”. Others want to know more about the factors that condition how elections impact on democracy. This article addresses both points by demonstrating that in Africa the extent of formal presidential power significantly shapes the ability of repeated elections to socialize more broadly democratic behaviour in the form of greater civil and private liberties, more civil society participation, and wider egalitarianism. Using recently available data on African presidents and the democratic qualities of regimes, the article demonstrates the ongoing influence of presidential power in Africa and provides some previously unstudied constraints on the democratization by elections thesis.     

EU power and armed humanitarianism in Africa: evaluating ESDP in Chad

This article analyses the European Union's (EU's) largest European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) military mission outside Europe to date; Eufor Tchad/RCA was a 3700-strong force involving personnel from 23 states, deployed to Chad and the Central African Republic for 12 months from March 2008. Far from this mission achieving EU ‘supremacy’ or projecting an ‘imperial’ reach, an evaluation of its objectives and achievements reveals acute limitations in the EU's ability to project power. The article analyses the context in which Eufor was conceived and deployed. It notes that the mission's weaknesses, like those of the United Nations mission to whom the EU transferred its security role in 2009, reflected its convoluted origins and objectives. Finally, the article examines whether the EU as a unitary actor has the desire or the ability to ‘replace’ individual European nations—in this case France—in their post-colonial military and ‘humanitarian’ roles in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Liberation movements and stalled democratic transitions: reproducing power in Rwanda and South Africa through productive liminality

The lack of convergence towards liberal democracy in some African countries reflects neither a permanent state of political aberration, nor necessarily a prolonged transitional phase through which countries pass once the “right” conditions are met. Examining the cases of two ruling parties, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and the African National Congress in South Africa, we develop the concept of productive liminality to explain countries suspended (potentially indefinitely) in a status “betwixt and between” mass violence, authoritarianism, and democracy. On the one hand, their societies are in a liminal status wherein a transition to democracy and socio-economic “revolution” remains forestalled; on the other hand, this liminality is instrumentalized to justify the party’s extraordinary mandate characterized by: (a) an idea of an incomplete project of liberation that the party alone is mandated to fulfil through an authoritarian social contract, and (b) the claim that this unfulfilled revolution is continuously under threat by a coterie of malevolent forces, which the party alone is mandated to identify and appropriately sanction.     

2005年的非洲形势

2005年的非洲,政治联合继续向纵深发展,经济保持中低速增长,安全形势总体趋向稳定,外交更趋活跃务实,非洲的国际地位明显提升.与此同时,围绕石油、资源、反恐和联合国改革等问题,西方大国对非争夺方兴未艾.中非传统友好关系更加牢固,双方在各个领域的务实合作稳步推进.     

2004年的非洲形势

2004年,非洲政治形势继续保持总体平稳、局部震荡的态势;经济中低速持续增长进入第10个年头,但发展面临一些深层问题;西方大国出于多重战略利益考虑重新看重非洲,使非洲的国际战略地位明显提升;中非友好合作关系继续全面、深入发展,出现一些新的喜人亮点。一、政局总体稳定,但局部震荡2004年,非洲安全形势出现了一些令人瞩目的“大事”,如苏丹达尔富尔地区的人道主义危机,科特迪瓦国内战乱再起以及刚果(金)东部地区安全局势脆弱、小规模武装冲突不断等。但是,非洲政局总体趋稳的大势未发生逆转,在内外多种利好因素的互动中,这一趋势正在向纵…     

非洲投资市场及我国对非洲投资概析

20世纪 90年代中期后 ,非洲正走向经济增长新时期。非洲经济振兴面临的一大困难是资金短缺。非洲国家面临沉重的外债、国际援助减少以及难以吸引外国直接投资 ;非洲经济发展资金的筹集存在困难 ,不能适应非洲振兴的需要。随着经济不断发展 ,非洲的投资市场将不断扩大。近几年 ,我国对非洲投资增长较快 ,但投资规模较工业发达国家仍然很小。非洲经济振兴需要大量外资 ,随着非洲经济增长以及投资环境不断改善 ,将为我国企业提供愈来愈多的投资机会 ,前景看好。我国对非洲的投资应选择一些领域作为优先的投资方向 ,可考虑以农业和农村发展、基础设施建设、制造业、信息产业、建筑业作为我国今后一段时期集中力量开拓对非洲投资的领域 ,且应注意解决好有关问题。     

民主与非洲的政治发展

“民主”与“政治发展”是两个在历史渊源和内容上都有重大差别的概念。与“民主”相比 ,“政治发展”的内涵和外延更大 ,更具张力和持久力。在强调大众参与和政治民主的同时 ,“政治发展”还关注政治文化的形成、政治结构的分化 ,以及社会稳定、法制秩序和经济发展 ,等等。民主是影响政治发展诸多变量中的一个关键变量。兼顾效率(经济发展 )和秩序 (社会稳定和法制 )的民主可以极大地促进政治发展。反之 ,则会造成政治衰败 (或称政治不发展 )。当前非洲的政治发展必须通过民主变革加以推进 ,要强调法治以及社会体制的一种稳定和有序的变化 ,建立“有法治的民主”。另外 ,政治发展还要兼顾效率和经济发展 ,并注重有非洲特色的新型政治文化的培育、形成和发展。     

2003年的非洲形势综述

20 0 3年的非洲 ,联合自强仍然是其发展的主旋律。经济持续中低速发展 ,政治联合稳步推进 ,打伊反恐使国际社会对非关注增多 ,非洲的国际战略地位有所提高。但政变、贫困化等问题积重难返 ,非洲复兴依然充满着艰辛和困难。一、经济继续保持中低速发展水平 ,在发达国家经济普遍不景气情况下表现出了一定的发展韧性。2 0 0 3年 ,随着发展意识的不断加强和改革的深入进行 ,非洲经济形势比冷战结束初期和“失去的 80年代”已大为改善 ,但与联合国千年首脑会议所确定的减贫及其他目标尚有很大距离。据国际货币基金组织预测 ,2 0 0 3年非洲的经济…     

非洲2012年：和平与发展

2012年,非洲大陆虽然存在一些热点,诸如北非和西非的一些国家,但是政局整体上和平、稳定;非洲一体化进程加快进行,有力推动了非洲大陆的发展;中非关系继续向纵深发展,成为南南合作的典范。总之,“和平与发展”依然是非洲大陆发展的主旋律。