Guest course taught by David Sebudubudu from the University of Botswana between 1st and 5th May 2023.

The overall purpose of this course is to offer an in-depth political economy perspective of the nexus between the state, democracy and development in SSA. The analysis that weaves the course together combines theoretical considerations of the state, democracy and development, and empirical and a historical inquiry to offer a holistic perspective on SSA’s governance structures, policies, and the region’s record of democratic development.

Module 1: Introduction – Political Economy Approach and the nexus between and among State, Democracy and Development

This module introduces the political economy approach as a distinct methodology in understanding the state in SSA as well as the nexus between and among state, democracy and development.

Module 2: The Character of the African State

This module explores the peculiarity of the African state, which is founded on a weak socio-economic context, weak civil society and weak private sector, which is predominantly held captive by a small coterie of the elite. The African state seeks to comply with the Washington Consensus yet it strives to meet the minimum consumption needs of the military and the elite.

Module 3: Democratic Development and Recession in SSA

In this module, we examine the governance structures or systems inherited and prescribed yet they were considered inadequate and inappropriate for the SSA context. SSA is preoccupied with western style of democracy instead of participatory democracy where the sovereigns are engaged. The analysis will also demonstrate the rise and decline of democratization in SSA. The resurgence of democratization marked the period 1980s up to the early 2000s coinciding the Huntintonian ‘Third Wave’ of democratization globally. The decline or what is variously referred to in the literature as democratic recession or backsliding began in early 2000s and still persists to date.

Module 4: The Nature of African Development

This module discusses the nature of African Development which is predominantly agrarian and based on mining and hence it has failed to deliver economic freedom for the sovereigns as they have continued to be dependent on the state for survival. Democracy is not about ticking the boxes under weak parliamentary or presidential systems, it has to be accompanied by economic dividends.

Module 5: Africa and the World

SSA has embraced regional organisations (notably Regional Economic Communities) and the continental block (African Union) as a basis for a Pan-Africanist political and socio-economic transformation. This module offers insights on how these regional organisations are considered as alternative models complimentary to the weak and predatory African state. Yet, these regional organisations are predicated upon the same states and are also dependent on external funding by dominant external actors, whose interests often do not coincide with those of the continent, its states and its peoples. While regional and continental inter-state institutions have made some progress, democracy and governance, peace, security and stability as well as in the development front, sustainability of this progress remain questionable both within individual countries and the regions.

Module 6: The Demographic Dividend

This module concludes the course by exploring the demographic dividend in SSA, in the form of women and youth, which offers hope for that region. The combined energy and vitality of women (more than 50% of Africa’s 1.3 billion people) and the youth (about 70% of Africa’s population) constitute the sleeping lion that is likely to wake this region up from its current slumber into a dynamic player in global political economy. It is critical to consider women and youth as key participants/players rather than as mere recipients/spectators or cheerleaders. Therefore, having explored the challenges confronting the state, democracy and development in SSA, there is potential for the region as it has an agile population when compared to other regions – thus presenting women and youth as those who carry hope, as transformative dividends.