New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) : a hostage to conditionality?

Mkhize, Matthews B

New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) : a hostage to conditionality?

Master Thesis

2002

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Political Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The paper evaluates the validity of the widespread notion that one of the objectives of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) - to establish democracy continent-wide in Africa - will be undermined by conditionalities attached to donor assistance. Conditionality is said by critics to usurp sovereign power, and thus interferes with governance in•• recipient countries, pre-empting self-determination, local initiative, and self-reliance. This discourse is thus located within the tradition of practical, politically engaged scholarship. Several relevant sub-issues are generated in the paper's primary deliberations: Nepad and conditionality are defined and principles and nature thereof explored; ""democracy"" is located in African politics, its history and current state examined; the effects of structural adjustments programs on African states are explored; the question of state-market relationship in development is considered; IMF and World Bank positions (i.e. policy) on conditionality are assessed; possible alternative forms of political systems pertinent to Nepad are evaluated; and continental democracy paradigm and democratic conditionality paradigms are suggested. I argue that concern about adverse effects of conditionality on democracy is well-founded, but suggest that re-examination and re-construction of conditionality may avert foreseeable harm and produce favourable results.

Description

Includes bibliography.

Keywords

Political Studies

Reference:

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Masters

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