Robin Luckham - Böcker

An account of the Nigerian military coups of 1966 in which the author discusses both the events themselves and their sociological background.

First published in 1975. Legatee of a vast empire, the Commonwealth still carries the imprint of its past, and in doing so it may be said to have a collective identity which, in a very varying degree, each of its members exhibits. This can sustain a collective inquiry into the political history and institutions of countries which were once governed within the British Empire. The present series of books is intended to express that interest and those traditions. They are presented not as a guide to the Commonwealth as a corporate entity, but as studies either in the politics and recent history of its member states or of themes which are of common interest to several of the countries concerned. This volume It examines the attempt to restore, and the failure to maintain, a parliamentary Westminster form of government in Ghana, a study in 'Commonwealth Legacies' which brings together scholars from Ghana, Britain and North America.

First published in 1975. Legatee of a vast empire, the Commonwealth still carries the imprint of its past, and in doing so it may be said to have a collective identity which, in a very varying degree, each of its members exhibits. This can sustain a collective inquiry into the political history and institutions of countries which were once governed within the British Empire. The present series of books is intended to express that interest and those traditions. They are presented not as a guide to the Commonwealth as a corporate entity, but as studies either in the politics and recent history of its member states or of themes which are of common interest to several of the countries concerned. This volume It examines the attempt to restore, and the failure to maintain, a parliamentary Westminster form of government in Ghana, a study in 'Commonwealth Legacies' which brings together scholars from Ghana, Britain and North America.

Explores the political dynamics of the recent wave of democratization in developing societies. Within a broad comparative perspective, the text focuses on the particular experiences of four countries - South Korea, Ghana, Zambia and Chile. The contributors assess the likelihood of sustaining new democratic regimes and discuss the feasibility of the promotion of democratization by outside parties. The text also addresses the complex practical issues of establishing and consolidating democratic political institutions, as well as important topics such as military power, the role of civil society and the position of women in relation to democracy.

Constitution-making for democracy has always been a highly political and contested process. It has never been more ambitious, or more difficult, than today as politicians and experts attempt to build democratic institutions that will foster peace and stability in countries torn by violent conflict. The extended investigation out of which this book has grown has ranged across three continents. It has examined such apparently intractable cases as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and Fiji, as well as apparent 'success stories' like South Africa, Ghana and Uganda.The authors, while regarding democracy as a general entitlement, refuse to subscribe to a triumphalist view which sees it as a universal panacea. Instead they seek to understand how democratic institutions actually facilitate (or sometimes fail to facilitate) improved governance and the management of conflict in a variety of national settings.This thoughtful and empirical set of explorations is highly relevant to other societies wrestling with similar problems of institutional design in situations of democratic transition and/or deep-seated social conflict.