The judiciary and post-election conflict resolution and democratic consolidation in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

ABSTRACT

In recent times most elections in Africa have been fraught with post-elections conflicts that have had dire consequences on citizens. Kenya, Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe are few of these cases. This makes post-election conflict resolution a very important aspect of the electoral process deserving enormous attention. However, extant literature has not accorded it the needed attention. It is as a result of this, that this study investigates the nature of post-election conflict resolution in Ghana’s Fourth Republic. The study, based on a qualitative case study approach, found among others that, the Courts have been instrumental in consolidating democracy in Ghana, and stakeholders are devotedly operating within the legal framework governing elections, despite logistical, law enforcement and justice delivery challenges. The study being conscious of the progress made over the years concludes that, where democratic institutions are consolidating, the use of unconventional means to resolve conflicts is usually not an option.     

Institutional determinants of the largest seat share

The degree of predominance of the largest party in a representative assembly affects government formation and survival. The seat share of the largest party, in turn, is constrained by the interaction of assembly size and electoral district magnitude in the following way. When all S seats in an assembly are allocated in districts of magnitude M, a logical quantitative model proposes that the largest fractional share is s₁ = (MS)^−1/8. As a curve, the model is found to fit with R² = 0.509, considering data from the averages of 46 periods in 37 countries, during which the electoral rules were essentially steady. As a worldwide average, the expression s₁(MS)^1/8 = 1 holds within 1%. Deviations from this average express the impact of various country-specific political and socio-cultural factors that can be investigated once the basic institutional constraints are controlled-for. This means that the degree of largest party predominance may be engineered to hover around a desired average by adjusting assembly size, and district magnitude, while keeping country-specific factors in mind.     

完善民主监督的必要条件与基本方法

在我国,民主监督是人民群众监督的重要组成部分,是建设有中国特色社会主义民主政治的重要内容。党的三代领导人都非常重视民主监督工作。当前只有具备权力必须接受监督、监督必须拓宽渠道、监督必须加大力度三种必要条件,才能有效发挥民主监督作用,杜绝腐败现象的滋生。     

The Effect of Religiosity on Endorsement of Democratic Values: The Mediating Influence of Authoritarianism

This study addresses the as yet unaddressed question of the nature of the effects of religiosity and authoritarianism upon endorsement of abstract democratic values. Findings obtained through the analyses of structural equations show that, despite the unsettled political and security atmosphere, Israelis believe in democratic values to a considerable extent. Furthermore, findings do not fully support the theoretical expectation that religiosity is likely to decrease support for democratic values; namely, in and of itself, religiosity has a negligible impact on endorsement of democratic values. Yet again, analyses lend credence to theory on authoritarianism—the negative effect of religiosity on endorsement of democratic values results from the mediation of authoritarianism. These findings are understood and discussed with regard to theoretical implications. The major conclusion, then, in contrast to existing assumptions regarding religiosity and negation of democracy linkage, is that religiosity cannot be considered the sole direct root cause of negation of democracy.     

转型变革:西欧社会党新形势下的新选择──对奥地利社会党下野的个案分析

世纪之交西欧社会民主党经过转型变革后走出危机焕发生机,活跃于西方政坛。在这种“神奇回归”现象当中,个别的则恰恰与之相反。本文试图通过对奥地利社会党下野原因的个案分析与西欧社会党及其社会民主主义新变化新特点的论证,探讨其兴衰成败的规律。     

当事人更换理论浅论

当事人理论是民事诉讼的三大理论基石之一。在当事人制度的诸多问题当中,非正当当事人及其更换理论在诉讼法学理论界是一个颇有争论的问题。本文从介绍非正当当事人及其更换理论入手,分析我国非正当当事人更换理论的现状,并针对这一现状进行分析,重构我国的当事人更换理论。