'Corrective' coups in Africa introduce policy dilemmas

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Term Limits ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
African Union ◽  
Military Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recent Trends

Subject Trends in approaches to coups in Africa. Significance Following the introduction of multi-party politics in the 1990s, Africa gradually developed an anti-coup norm. This was institutionalised by the African Union (AU): regimes that came to power unconstitutionally were automatically suspended from membership. More recent trends are challenging this principle. Coups in Mali (2012), Burkina Faso (2014) and a recent failed attempt in Burundi have seen military leaders claiming to have intervened to 'save democracy', usually removing from office presidents failing to respect term limits. Impacts The role of African armies in peace-keeping can embolden military elites who do not have the same priorities as their Western funders. Dependence on African armies for peace-keeping acts as a bargaining chip for elites to neutralise external criticism of domestic issues. Donors still prefer African-led missions, given cost savings and the utility to bolster diplomatic relations with African states.

scholarly journals Network analysis: emergence, criticism and recent trends

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Kirschbaum
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Organizational Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Recent Trends

Purpose Network analysis is a well consolidated research area in several disciplines. Within management and organizational studies, network scholars consolidated a set of research practices that allowed ease of data collection, high inter case comparability, establishment of nomological laws and commitment to social capital motivation. This paper aims to elicit the criticism it has received and highlight the unsettled lacunae. Design/methodology/approach This paper sheds light on Network Analysis’s breakthroughs, while showing how its scholars innovated by responding to critics, and identifying outstanding debates. Findings The paper identifies and discusses three streams of criticism that are still outstanding: the role of human agency, the meaning of social ties and the treatment of temporality. Originality/value This paper brings to fore current debates within the Network Analysis community, highlighting areas where future studies might contribute.

Gabon's president will consolidate his power

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Party ◽  
Term Limits ◽  
African Union ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Slow Progress ◽  
The Government

Subject Gabonese constitutional controversy Significance The Gabonese parliament and senate, dominated by the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), unanimously passed a revised constitution on January 10. The new constitution will reportedly not include term limits, while providing President Ali Bongo with immunity from future prosecution. The opposition, led by former African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Jean Ping, has rejected the document and described it as a setback for democracy. Impacts The legislative elections could face a fourth postponement given the slow progress in poll preparations. The government could enter the Eurobond market once more after raising 200 million dollars in an oversubscribed August issue. Bongo's administration will likely prioritise domestic over external debtors as part of a broader plan to stimulate the economy.

China will step up pressure on Taiwan on all sides

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
International Community ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coercive Measures ◽  
Us Congress ◽  
Significant Potential ◽  
The Us ◽  
Modus Vivendi ◽  
Diplomatic Recognition

Subject China-Taiwan relations. Significance Burkina Faso on May 24 withdrew diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, the latest result of a raft of measures Beijing has taken this year to isolate Taiwan from the international community and convince Taiwan’s current independence-leaning government that there are significant potential costs for failing to find a modus vivendi with Beijing. The coercive measures included military intimidation, diplomatic pressure and a sharp escalation in pressure on international companies to hew to China’s preferences when referring to Taiwan. Impacts Burkina Faso is likely to establish diplomatic relations with China and receive economic rewards. Chinese coercion will prompt gestures of support for Taiwan in the US Congress, where anti-China sentiment runs high. Foreign airlines and other firms will adopt approaches that go some way to pleasing Beijing, some of them pre-emptively.

The Role of the Roman Aristocrats in the Diplomatic Communication of Byzantium and Persia in the Middle of the 6th Century

Istoriya ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7 (105)) ◽  
pp. 0
Author(s):  
Evgenia Zaitseva
Keyword(s):  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
Military Leaders ◽  
Ecumenical Council ◽  
The Church

The author examines the features of diplomatic relations between the Persian state and the Roman empires in the middle of the 6th century. The author concludes that the Roman aristocrats who arrived in Constantinople in 546 and participated in the V Ecumenical Council were involved in the settlement of relations between the old opponents. The sources are the works of Procopius of Caesarea and the Acts of the Church Council of 553. The author defines a list of diplomats engaged in negotiations with the Persians in 551—552, and also demonstrates that Byzantine military leaders and politicians turned to the Romans for consultations, since the previous truces concluded with by the Persians, were short-lived. This tactic has brought results. With the participation of experienced Roman senators in the negotiations, the empire retained Lazica, took control of the port of Fasias, and secured its eastern borders.

Sudan’s revolution may pay wider peace dividend

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Power Sharing ◽  
African Union ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Military Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Reforms ◽  
Enabling Environment ◽  
Peace Dividend ◽  
A Priority ◽  
The Military

Significance The Constitutional Declaration -- a power-sharing agreement between the military leaders who ousted former President Omar al-Bashir and the protest leaders who led the popular revolution -- makes a peace agreement with Sudan’s various armed factions a priority for the first six months of the transition. Impacts For now, de facto ceasefires should mostly hold, though sporadic skirmishes, including among non-formal armed actors, may continue. Progress in peace talks would enhance wider prospects for stability, creating an enabling environment for economic and political reforms. Progress could also accelerate plans for the withdrawal of the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

Kinshasa riot portends disorderly executive transition

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
International Community ◽  
Term Limits ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Economic Recovery ◽  
African Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Executive Transition ◽  
Near Term

Significance Violent protests engulfed the capital city last week as police clashed with demonstrators demanding President Joseph Kabila honour presidential term limits. The president's intransigence has driven the violent reaction, but divisions within the opposition are also fuelling the violence. Impacts Recent violence may have ended the prospect of opposition unity in the near term. The DRC is unlikely to experience a third civil war but security may deteriorate, especially in Kinshasa. The international community may broker peace talks led by the African Union. The increasing instability will almost certainly shatter the DRC's fragile economic recovery.

Cuba’s new constitution signals reform continuity

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Term Limits ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Monetary Reform ◽  
Property Ownership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
High Level

Significance This is the strongest signal yet of President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s commitment to the reform process he inherited from his predecessor Raul Castro. The changes will not end single-party rule but should bring the constitution up to date with the economic reforms of the past decade -- private property ownership will be permitted, and the role of the market recognised. Political institutions will be re-organised, introducing new high-level offices and term limits. Impacts Constitutional reform will only temporarily deflect attention from the need for monetary reform and higher salaries. The reforms will help Diaz-Canel build his visibility and profile as Cuba’s leader. For Diaz-Canel new ministerial appointments will be key to consolidating his standing in the party apparatus.

Reverse mentoring: a review of extant literature and recent trends

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 5-8
Author(s):  
Neha Garg ◽  
Pankaj Singh
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Scholarly Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Practice Gap

Purpose Reverse mentoring though widely discussed and adopted in practice, scholarly research on the same is scarce. This paper thus attempts to provide an overview of the extant literature and highlights the developments taking place in the practical arena so as to reveal the research-practice gap and identify new avenues with respect to the expanding role of reverse mentoring. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the review of important developments in research and practice related to reverse mentoring. Findings Despite the multi-faceted benefits of reverse mentoring observed by practitioners, the academic literature is not only scarce but also confined to its vignettes and anecdotes. This review highlights how reverse mentoring has much more to offer than being just a tech-savvy tool. Research limitations/implications This review calls for abandoning the single-faceted outlook (of a tech-savvy tool) towards reverse mentoring by exploring the concept from a broader lens. Originality/value The insights covered in the review highlight the expanding scope of reverse mentoring and present future pathways both for researchers and practitioners. It inspires the readers to re-visit the concept and explore how it can deliver valuable outcomes especially with regards to the multi-generational workforce.

African tourism and air transport: the role of the African Union and ECOSOCC in SDG implementation post COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patson Malisa ◽  
Vanessa G.B. Gowreesunkar ◽  
William Carrew
Keyword(s):  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Air Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
African Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Regional Tourism ◽  
African Context ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer an insight of the role of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) in implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) for the air transport sector and the tourism industry. The objective is to show how the AU along with its advisory body ECOSOCC collaborates with regional tourism organizations and stakeholders to achieve the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is based on desk-based research and content analysis of documents, reports and research articles related to Agenda 2063. Findings The findings show that achievement of the SDGs necessitates collaboration between regional and international organizations. But, not all AU members are committed to implementing the SDGs. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has threatened many tourism economies, and stakeholders are now interested in finding a solution to the crisis. Practical implications The outcome of this study provides an improved understanding of the importance of SDGs while confronting tourism challenges during the pandemic crisis in Africa. Originality/value According to the authors’ best knowledge, the study is among the first to address SDG issues in a post-COVID African context.

scholarly journals Understanding the UK’s productivity problems

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 296-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Lewis ◽  
Kate Bell
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Aggregate Demand ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Distribution Of Income

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature, causes and consequences of the UK’s productivity problems and whether these may be addressed through the new technologies of artificial intelligence (AI). Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews the literature on productivity to explain how it relates to earnings within different theoretical frameworks, advocating a “power over rents” framework as most realistic. It explains the UK’s twin productivity problems and reviews their potential causes, critically assessing the capacity for new technologies of AI to address them. It highlights the enduring importance of distribution and the design of work to improving the UK’s productivity. Findings The authors find that the UK’s productivity problems will not be solved by AI technologies due to technical and socio-technical challenges which will require the significant re-design of work. The authors highlight the importance of aggregate demand, which has been inhibited by the shifting distribution of income towards capital and rising inequality of earnings. These issues suggest an important role for trade unions and a renewal of the institutions of employment regulation and collective bargaining. While reversing recent trends raises considerable challenges, the authors observe renewed interest in trade unions from previously hostile thinktanks and international institutions including the IMF and OECD. Originality/value This paper advocates adopting a “power over rents” theoretical framework to understanding productivity and the distribution of gains. This provides a clear rationale for the role of trade unions, employment regulation and collective bargaining in improving distributional outcomes, raising firm-level productivity and achieving real productivity growth at an aggregate level.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document