Social Revolutions and Governance Aspirations of African Millennials: Emerging from the Political Shadows of Strongmen (SpringerBriefs in Political Science)

This book discusses the role of millennials in political leadership and governance in Africa going forward. Africa is in the process of significant change. The nature of this change, dimensions, and what change might bring will depend on young people who now represent three quarters of the population of the continent. This book contributes to ongoing discussions and provides a pathway and guide for a new generation of young African leaders to emerge and not to miss the opportunity for real transformative change. The book provides a thought-provoking analysis of the political and economic systems in Africa. In its analysis of development challenges and opportunities, it shows how millennials can be the catalyst for change in leadership and governance behavior. Consequently, the book argues how this can improve the fortunes of Africa's estimated 1.3 billion people. It is inspired by the factual circumstances of Africa’s significant history, a deep understanding of current power relations, and motivated by an ambitious vision of Africa’s role in the world. The book combines a deep explanation of concepts with a range of techniques and recent illustrative applications. It also embraces a multi-method approach that allows for the embedding of primary and secondary forms of data. A cross-fertilization of ontological arguments and analytical techniques from a range of allied disciplines further contribute to the book’s novelty. The book appeals to multiple stakeholders including students, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Contents About the Author Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Overview of the Book 1.2 Why this Book Was Written 1.3 Who Should Read this Book? 1.4 A Note on Sources 1.5 Structure of the Book 1.6 Conclusion References Chapter 2: Salient Features of Being a Young African and the Effects of Poor Leadership 2.1 Aspiration and Realities of the Young African 2.1.1 Revisiting the Concept of Aspiration 2.1.2 Hopes, Fears, and Realities of Young Africans 2.2 Traditions and Institutions as Pillars of Governance 2.3 The Fragile States Index (FSI) 2.4 The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) 2.5 The Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) 2.6 Impact of Poor Leadership on African Millennials 2.7 Conclusion References Chapter 3: Understanding Political Strongmen and Rising Out of Their Shadows 3.1 Origins of Strongman Mentality in African Leadership Spaces 3.2 The Mindset of the Typical African Strongman 3.2.1 Power Acquisition Mindset 3.2.2 Survival Mindset 3.2.3 Populist and Celebrity-Style Mindset 3.2.4 Private Benefits Acquisition Mindset 3.3 How Strongmen Consolidate Power 3.4 Why Is It Difficult for Young Africans to Unseat Strongmen? 3.4.1 Lack of Internal Democracy within Existing Political Parties 3.4.2 Politics of Patronage and Godfatherism 3.4.3 Illegal Use of State Resources 3.4.4 Erosion of Confidence in Elections 3.4.5 Compromising the Judiciary 3.4.6 Exploitation of Power of Incumbency 3.4.7 Diminishing Mainstream Publicity Spaces 3.4.8 Divide-and-Rule Politics 3.4.9 Attempts to Distort Corruption Narratives 3.5 Conclusion References Chapter 4: Determinants of the Propensity for Social Revolutions Among African Millennials 4.1 Social Revolutions: A Diagnosis 4.2 Data Preparation and Methodological Approach 4.2.1 Dependent Variable 4.2.2 Predictor Variables 4.2.3 Statistical Analysis 4.3 Continental Predictors of Social Revolution 4.3.1 Descriptive Characteristics of Study Participants 4.3.2 Logistic Regression Analysis Results 4.4 General Discussion and Implications 4.5 Conclusion References Chapter 5: Mapping Africa ́s Possible Future Political Geography Based on Governance Aspirations of Millennials 5.1 A New Approach for Evaluating Governance Aspirations of Young People 5.1.1 Data 5.2 Governance Aspiration Themes 5.3 Analytics for Mapping and Profiling Governance Aspiration People 5.4 Emerging Geographical Patterns 5.5 Anti-Democratic Nationalists 5.6 Afropolitan Melting Pot 5.7 Pro-Democratic Nationalists 5.8 Hybrid Anti-military Polities 5.9 Colonial Cravings 5.10 Conclusion References Chapter 6: Conclusion 6.1 Recognising the Power of Millennials 6.2 Organising the Power of Millennials 6.3 Concluding Thoughts: Young Africans Must Avoid Familiar Mistakes 6.3.1 Culture of Low Expectations 6.3.2 Absence of Compromises and Alliances 6.3.3 Lopsided Ethno-Religious Perceptions 6.3.4 Ideological Poverty References Index