Situating her analysis squarely within the context of debates about the role of religion in African politics and society, Amy Patterson systematically analyzes the efforts (and sometimes lack of effort) of Christian churches in shaping HIV/AIDS policy. Patterson considers how theological worldviews, material resources, historical interactions with the state, and global networks influence    More >

Why did a clique of Mauritanian officers risk their lives to overthrow the autocrat they had served for twenty years, only to cede power to an elected civilian? And having won acclaim for their commitment to a process of democratic transition, why did most of these officers join a year later to overthrow the newly elected president? Had the international community been fooled by a military    More >

Why do some African local governments perform well, while others fail to deliver even the most basic services to their constituents? Gina Lambright finds answers to this question in her investigation of the factors that contribute to good—and those that result in ineffective—institutional performance at the district level in Uganda. Examining the conditions under which local    More >

How do disputants in Africa's civil wars—rebel movements, ethnic groups, state leaders—find security in the midst of anarchic situations? Why do some rebel movements pursue a secessionist agenda while others seek to overthrow the existing government? Under what circumstances will insurgents agree to share power? Proposing answers to these questions, Ian Spears offers a fresh    More >

It is widely assumed that the African National Congress essentially disappeared from South Africa after its banning in 1960 and the imprisonment of its leaders, until public support for it revived in the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprising. Raymond Suttner takes issue with that view. Drawing on extensive oral testimony, Suttner reveals how internally based activists, often working independently of    More >

Satu Riutta asks whether civic education initiatives—to which huge sums of donor funds and effort are devoted annually—actually promote political participation among the rural poor in nascent democracies. Does raising awareness about citizen rights and responsibilities increase participation? Are the effects of civic education greatest on collective or individual forms of    More >

In the midst of the atrocities reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the seemingly constant strife in the Horn of Africa, and the ongoing violence in Darfur, how do we make sense of the simultaneous increase in interstate security cooperation in Africa? To what extent, and why, does this cooperation differ from previous initiatives? In what direction is it heading? Benedikt Franke assesses    More >