Publications 2013–2014
Africa Now
Africa Now is an exciting new series published in association with Zed Books. Featuring high-quality, cuttingedge research from leading academics, the series will address the big issues confronting Africa today.
Accessible but in-depth and wide-ranging, Africa Now will engage with the critical political, economic,
sociological and development debates affecting the continent, shedding new light on pressing concerns. The
series is available as paperback, hardback, and ebook. Please order directly from Zed Books at
http://zedbooks.co.uk/series/Africa%20Now.
Godwin Murunga, Duncan Okello, and Anders Sjögren (Eds.)
Kenya : The Struggle for a New Constitutional Order
The aftermath of recent Kenyan elections has been marred by violence and an
apparent crisis in democratic governance, with the negotiated settlement
resulting from the 2007 election bringing into sharp focus longstanding
problems of state and society. The broader reform process has involved
electoral, judicial and security sector reforms, among others, which in turn
revolve around constitutional reforms.
Written by an eminent gathering of specialists, this highly original volume
interrogates the roots and impacts of the 2010 constitution; explains why
struggles for reforms were blocked in the past but were successful this time
around, and explores the scope for their implementation in the face of
continued resistance by powerful groups. In doing so, the book demonstrates
that the Kenyan experience carries significance well past its borders, speaking to
debates surrounding social justice and national cohesion across the African
continent and beyond.
2014, 192 pp, 978-1-78032-365-7
http://zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/kenya-the-struggle-for-a-new-constitutionalorder
Margaret C. Lee
Africa’s World Trade : Informal Economies and Globalization from Below
Are Africa's world markets really contributing to development across the
continent for individuals, nations and regions? This is the key question posed
by Margaret Lee in this provocative book, in which she argues that all too often
the voices of African traders are obscured amid a blizzard of statistical analysis.
However, it is these very voices - from those operating on the ground as formal
or informal traders - that must be listened to in order to form a true
understanding of the impact trade regimes have on these individuals and their
communities.
Featuring a wealth of oral histories from across sub-Saharan Africa and
beyond, including Africans in China, Africa's World Trade offers a unique
insight into how the complexity of international trade agreements can shape the
everyday lives of ordinary Africans.
2014, 166 pp, 978-1-78032-350-3
http://zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/africas-world-trade
Updated Jan 8, 2015 1 Publications 2013–2014
Liisa Laakso and Petri Hautaniemi (Eds.)
Diasporas, Development and Peacemaking in the Horn of Africa
Exiled populations, who increasingly refer to themselves as diaspora
communities, hold a strong stake in the fate of their countries of origin. In a
world becoming ever more interconnected, they engage in 'long-distance
politics' towards, send financial remittances to and support social development
in their homelands. Transnational diaspora networks have thus become global
forces shaping the relationship between countries, regions and continents.
This important intervention, written by scholars working at the cutting edge
of diaspora and conflict, challenges the conventional wisdom that diaspora are
all too often warmongers, their time abroad causing them to become more
militant in their engagement with local affairs. Rather, they can and should be
a force for good in bringing peace to their home countries.
Featuring in-depth case studies from the Horn of Africa, including Somalia
and Ethiopia, this volume presents an essential rethinking of a key issue in
African politics and development.
2014, 239 pp, 978-1-78360-097-7
http://zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/diasporas-development-and-peacemaking-inthe-horn-of-africa
Mary Njeri Kinyanjui
Women and the Informal Economy in Urban Africa :
From the Margins to the Centre
In this highly original work, Mary Njeri Kinyanjui explores the trajectory of
women's movement from the margins of urbanization into the centres of
business activities in Nairobi and its accompanying implications for urban
planning.
While women in much of Africa have struggled to gain urban citizenship and
continue to be weighed down by poor education, low income and confinement
to domestic responsibilities due to patriarchic norms, a new form of urban
dynamism - partly informed by the informal economy - is now enabling them
to manage poverty, create jobs and link to the circuits of capital and labour.
Relying on social ties, reciprocity, sharing and collaboration, women's informal
'solidarity entrepreneurialism' is taking them away from the margins of
business activity and catapulting them into the centre.
Bringing together key issues of gender, economic informality and urban
planning in Africa, Kinyanjui demonstrates that women have become a critical
factor in the making of a postcolonial city.
2014. 140 pp, 978-1-78032-630-6
http://zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/women-and-the-informal-economy-in-urbanafrica
Updated Jan 8, 2015 2 Publications 2013–2014
Amanda Hammar (Ed.)
Displacement Economies in Africa : Paradoxes of Crisis and Creativity
Large-scale displacement - whether caused by war, state-related political or
development projects, different forms of political violence, structural crisis, or even
natural disasters - evokes many stereotyped assumptions about those forcibly
displaced or emplaced. At the same time there is a problematic lack of attention paid
to the diversity of actors, strategies and practices that reshape the world in the face
(and chronic aftermath) of dramatic moments of violent dislocation. In this highly
original volume, based on empirical case studies from across sub-Saharan Africa, the
authors reveal the paradoxical effects, both intended and unexpected, that
displacement produces, and that manifest themselves in displacement economies.
2014, 253 pp, 978-1-78032-489-0
http://zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/displacement-economies-in-africa
Fantu Cheru and Renu Modi
Agricultural Development and Food Security in Africa :
The Impact of Chinese, Indian and Brazilian Investments
The subject of food security and land issues in Africa has become one of increased
importance and contention over recent years. In particular, the focus has shifted to
the role new global South donors - especially India, China and Brazil - are playing in
shaping African agriculture through their increased involvement and investment in
the continent.
Approaching the topic through the framework of South-South co-operation, this
highly original volume presents a critical analysis of the ways in which Chinese,
Indian and Brazilian engagements in African agriculture are structured and
implemented. Do these investments have the potential to create new opportunities
to improve local living standards, transfer new technology and knowhow to African
producers, and reverse the persistent productivity decline in African agriculture? Or
will they simply aggravate the problem of food insecurity by accelerating the process
of land alienation and displacement of local people from their land?
Topical and comprehensive, Agricultural Development and Food Security in
Africa offers fresh insight into a set of relationships that will shape both Africa and
the world over the coming decades.
2013, 256 pp, 978-1-78032-371-8
http://zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/agricultural-development-and-food-security-inafrica
Updated Jan 8, 2015 3 Publications 2013–2014
Maria Eriksson Baaz and Maria Stern
Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War? :
Perceptions, Prescriptions, Problems in the Congo and Beyond
All too often in conflict situations, rape is referred to as a 'weapon of war', a term
presented as self-explanatory through its implied storyline of gender and warring. In
this provocative but much-needed book, Eriksson Baaz and Stern challenge the
dominant understandings of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Reading with and against feminist analyses of the interconnections between
gender, warring, violence and militarization, the authors address many of the thorny
issues inherent in the arrival of sexual violence on the global security agenda. Based
on original fieldwork in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as research
material from other conflict zones, Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War? challenges
the recent prominence given to sexual violence, bravely highlighting various
problems with isolating sexual violence from other violence in war.
A much-anticipated book by two acknowledged experts in the field, on an issue
that has become an increasingly important security, legal and gender topic.
2013, 172 pp, 978-1-78032-163-9
http://zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/sexual-violence-as-a-weapon-of-war
NAI Policy Notes
Policy Notes is a series of short briefs on policy relevant issues relevant to Africa today. Aimed at professionals working
within aid agencies, ministries of foreign affairs, NGOs and the media, these reports aim to inform public debate and
to generate input into the sphere of policymaking. The writers are researchers and scholars engaged in African issues
and are drawn from several disciplines. Most have an institutional connection to the Nordic Africa Institute or its
research networks. The reports are internally endorsed and externally reviewed. Please go to
http://www.nai.uu.se/publications/series/notes/ for the whole series.
Mats Utas, Anders Themnér, and Emy Lindberg
Commanders for good and bad : alternative post-war reconstruction
and ex-commanders in Liberia
Contrary to the general conviction, collaboration with ex-commanders and
their informal networks can actually promote postwar stability. When former
generals are integrated into the post-conflict societal structure as brokers of
socioeconomic service and mediators between governing elites and former
combatants, they can help to provide security and stability. In the case of
Liberia their direct access to ex-combatants makes them suitable for
distributing jobs, money, food, scholarships and other resources.
2014, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-758-6
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1876
Updated Jan 8, 2015 4 Publications 2013–2014
Atakilte Beyene
Small farms under stress play a huge role for Africa : Smallholder
Agriculture and Emerging Global Challenges
Widespread poverty as well as food and income insecurity plague Africa’s
dominant smallholder agriculture. Paradoxically, the very people who mainly
depend on agriculture are not able to secure their own food and nutrition
needs. Today, three-quarters of Africa’s malnourished children and the
majority of people living in absolute poverty are found among the smallholder
farmers who are key to the development of the continent.
2014, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-757-9
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1860
Terje Oestigaard
Thirsty, hungry and no power? : African resources in a global world
Water, food and energy are fundamental to African development. However,
several crucial issues need to be addressed. Are African resources used to meet
African needs or are they being exploited to satisfy the needs of other actors
facing food and energy insecurity?
2014, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-756-2
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1861
Adia Benton
Ebola exhausts health systems : more resources are needed
Epidemics and institutional responses to them reveal the strengths and
weaknesses of health systems. They also often engender and reflect existing
political, economic and social tensions whenever and wherever they occur. This
policy note outlines some of acute and chronic political and social conditions
that have facilitated transmission and continue to pose a challenge for
community and government responses to Ebola. It also highlights the
significance of building health systems to avert and address future health crises.
2014, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-755-5
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1856
Ken Menkhaus
If Mayors Ruled Somalia. Beyond the State-building Impasse
This Policy Note critically assesses the strengths and weaknesses of two
competing school of thoughts on state-building and international aid in
Somalia - the ”Marshall Plan” approach and the ”Social Contract” approach. It
also proposes a third option - a transitional strategy that includes more support
to municipalities as the source of the most practical, legitimate, and effective
formal governance in Somalia.
2014, 4 pp, 978-91-7016-754-8
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1840
Updated Jan 8, 2015 5 Publications 2013–2014
Peter Makachia
Participative Design for Urban Housing
In African cities, people are peripheral to architectural processes despite the fact
that those processes produce buildings – houses – that they use and interact
with every day. Laypeople’s disengagement often produces socially
dysfunctional neighbourhoods whose residents lack both a strong sense of
community and environmental awareness.
2014, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-752-4
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1837
Atakilte Beyene
Costly not to consider local resistance : Advice on agricultural
investments in Africa
Failures in considering and properly addressing local resistance have become
costly for both the local people and the investors. Land acquisition policies
need to be accompanied by mechanisms that address local grievances and
conflicts. These aspects are crucial not only to alleviate unjust practices, but
also to enhance confidence of investors and performance of the investments.
2013, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-741-8
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1797
Thaddeus Chidi Nzeadibe and Onyanta Adama-Ajonye
Improved recycling performance : Policy options for Nigerian cities
In Nigeria there is a glaring absence of formal recycling of municipal waste. As
a result, the informal sector has taken up the role of “critical but
unacknowledged gap filler” in the waste recycling system, achieving low but
significant recy­cling rates. This policy note deals with what can be done to
improve recycling performance in Nigerian cities.
2013, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-740-01
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1795
Redie Bereketeab
Post-Secession State-Building and Reconstruction : Somaliland,
Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan
State-building refers to the processes undertaken by new states, while
reconstitution refers to the rearrangement of an existing state following either
secession or collapse. Somaliland and South Sudan are involved in process of
state-building, while Sudan and Somalia are engaged in state reconstitution.
Three distinctive models of state-building are taking place in these countries.
2013, 4 pp, 978-91-7106-737-1
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1783
Updated Jan 8, 2015 6 Publications 2013–2014
Current African Issues
The Current African Issues aim to address topical issues about Africa by providing in-depth research-based analysis
relevant for Africa and for the global community. This is an occasional peer-reviewed series, which is endorsed
internally and reviewed externally. Please go to http://www.nai.uu.se/publications/series/cai/ for the whole series.
Marianna Wallin
Resettled for Development: The Case of New Halfa Agricultural Scheme,
Sudan
This report discusses the displacement and resettlement of the Sudanese Nubians
into the New Halfa agricultural scheme in Eastern Sudan, the current state of this
multi-ethnic community and the challenges the farmers are facing. The Nubians of
Wadi Halfa in Northern Sudan (also called the Halfawi Nubians) had to be relocated
to New Halfa due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the early 1960s. In
addition to the loss of ancestral land and the alienation they experienced, the Halfawi
Nubians struggled to secure a sufficient livelihood in New Halfa and found their lives
irreversibly altered. Although the resettlement of the Nubians did not succeed in
rooting them in their new territory and a lot of the Halfawi Nubians have since
abandoned the scheme, New Halfa has also created unforeseen opportunities for
internally displaced people and migrant workers and become a growing regional
centre for business and commerce. Despite the fact that New Halfa failed to meet its
original targets, it is an example of a resettlement scheme that, in 50 years, developed
and adjusted according to the needs of its current inhabitants.
2014, 69 pp, 978-91-7106-751-7
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1842
Emy Lindberg
Youth and the labour market in Liberia: on history, state structures and
spheres of informalities
This study explores the historical development of the Liberian labor market with a
particular focus on young men and women. It asks, what constitutes and shapes the
Liberian labour market? By looking at labour mobilization and the structure of the
(in)formal labour market – both in peace and war – our understanding of the
contemporary Liberian labour markets substantially enhanced. The study finds that
there are many recurring patterns of labor migration, labor mobilization and
distribution that have existed in the Liberian pre-war, war and post-war settings.
Historical structures of informality and patrionialism continue to dominate Liberia
today. In addition to this, the study's focus on youths provides an insight into how
this section of society moves through the labour market. It also examines the idea of
unemployed youths as particularly prone to violence.
2014, 35 pp, 978-91-7106-749-4
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1846
Updated Jan 8, 2015 7 Publications 2013–2014
Farida Mahgoub
Current Status of Agriculture and Future Challenges in Sudan
Urbanisation and long-lasting civil wars and conflict mean that the demographic
pattern in Sudan is changing drastically. Nevertheless, 60%–80 % of Sudanese
engage in subsistence agriculture. Agriculture remains a crucial sector in the economy
as a major source of rawmaterials, food and foreign exchange. It employs the majority
of the labour force, and serves as a potential vehicle for diversifying the economy.
However, no rigorous studies have explained productivity in this sector in relation to
food security. The situation has worsened because agriculture in particular has been
neglected since the advent of oil production in the early 2000s. Moreover, Sudan’s
agricultural growth has been unbalanced, with the majority of irrigated agriculture
concentrated in the Centre and a huge disparity in development indicators between
the best- and worst-performing regions. Thus, studies show that the vast majority of
Sudanese are reported to be food insecure, especially internally displaced persons and
in conflict regions such as Darfur, Kordofan and other regions.
2014, 98 pp, 978-91-7106-748-7
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1839
Clementina Amankwaah
Election-Related Violence: The Case of Ghana
This report gives an overview of the causes and experiences of election-related
violence in relation to patronage politics in Ghana. Ghana has been framed by the
international community as a unique bastion of democracy and peace on the African
continent. Nevertheless, the country has come from a military regime like many of its
democratic African counterparts and is still prone to some of the problems faced by
its more turbulent neighbours. The three main guiding issues that this publication
will address in relation to election-related violence in Ghana are: The causes of
election-related violence in Ghana; Who the people most likely to cause electionrelated violence are; The role that “big men” play in election-related violence.
2013, 41 pp, 978-91-7106-744-9
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1827
Måns Fellesson and Paula Mählck
Academics on the Move : Mobility and Institutional Change in the Swedish
Development Support to Research Capacity Building in Mozambique
In the competitive global knowledge economy, highly qualified individuals are
increasingly recognised as being the key to development. In particular, doctorate
holders are not only the most qualified in terms of educational attainment, but also
those specifically trained to be at the forefront of innovation and in a position to
drive advances in science, technology and knowledge of society. In developing
countries with relatively weak research structures, not least with regard to PhD
graduates, the training of PhDs has been intimately linked to the reproduction of
human capacity in national research systems. This study examines the mobility of
PhD graduates funded under the Swedish development aid program to build
institutional research capacity in Mozambique from 1990 to 2013.
2013, 103 pp, 978-91-7106-743-2
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1816
Updated Jan 8, 2015 8 Publications 2013–2014
Pamela K. Mbabzi
The Oil Industry in Uganda; A Blessing in Disguise or an all Too Familiar
Curse?
As Uganda comes closer to full scale commercial production of its recently discovered
oil resources, the state has much work to protect its economy from possible negative
effects. Although much of the literature regarding oil globally, as well as in Uganda,
paints a rather pessimistic picture, Dr. Pamela Mbabazi provides a set of alternatives,
looking at oil as an opportunity rather than a curse. While oil is still in its infancy,
many in Uganda have already predicted how it will play out over the next 50 years.
While some are quick to point out the flaws and potential problem areas, Dr.
Mbabazi suggests a more balanced approach, recognizing both the issue areas as well
as the opportunities presented. Uganda has just celebrated its 50th anniversary as an
independent nation. What is certain is that over the next five decades, oil will play a
significant role in Uganda´s development. Thus, she argues that by heeding the
suggestions made in this contribution, the government and key decision makers can
help set Uganda on the right path to becoming Africa’s first oil success story.
2013, 66 pp, 978-91-7106-740-1
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1803
David Nilsson
Sweden-Norway at the Berlin Conference 1884–85: History, national
identity-making and Sweden's relations with Africa
The image of Sweden is one of a small, democratic and peace-loving country without
the moral burden of a colonial past. However, in this Current African Issues
publication, the notion that Sweden lacks a colonial past in Africa is brought into
question. At the Berlin Conference 1884–85, the rules for colonisation of Africa were
agreed upon among a handful of white men. With the blessing of King Oscar II, the
united kingdoms of Sweden-Norway participated in the Berlin conference, ratified
the resulting convention and signed a trade agreement with King Leopold’s
International Congo Association. Thereafter, hundreds of Swedish militaries, seamen
and missionaries took an active part in the brutal colonial project in the Congo.
What was Sweden-Norway really doing at the Berlin Conference and in the ensuing
Scramble for Africa? Is it now time to re-assess Swedish identity in relation to Africa,
an identity so far centered on colonial innocence?
2013, 54 pp, 978-91-7106-738-8.
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1793
Boima Tucker
Musical Violence: Gangsta Rap and Politics in Sierra Leone
Hip Hop has become a global force in recent years. However, when taken up by
youth outside its American birthplace, it is often dismissed as a shallow adaptation or
imitation of American popular culture. However, its global popularity cannot be
questioned, and its proliferation is aided by its adaptability to local contexts. It has
become associated with an emergent youth political identity in many parts of the
world, a result of its ability to embody rebellious youth energy. Hip Hop is a new
global lingua franca for youth rebellion that exists beyond the boundaries of the state,
and is aided by the emergence of the internet and accompanying communications
technologies. Analysis of the political ramifications of Hip Hop in West African
societies is vital to gaining a true sense of what democracy means in the local context.
Updated Jan 8, 2015 9 Publications 2013–2014
This paper focuses on the West African country of Sierra Leone, and explores how
youth participation in Hip Hop there is a radical political project.
2013, 64 pp, 978-91-7106-734-0
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1761
Policy Dialogue
NAI Policy Dialogue was a series of short reports on policy issues relevant to Africa today. Aimed at professionals
working with aid agencies, ministries of foreign affairs, NGOs and the media, these reports are intended to inform
public debate and to generate input into policymaking. The writers are researchers and scholars drawn from different
disciplines and engaged with African issues. Most of the authors are connected to the Nordic Africa Institute or its
research networks. The reports were internally endorsed and externally reviewed. The series has been terminated.
Nlandu Mayamba Thierry
Building a Police Force "for the good" in DR Congo : Questions that still
haunt reformers and reform beneficiaries
The police in DRC are indeed a permanent domestic risk. The lack of policy,
service or management regime for the acquisition of equipment explains the
deficient, dilapidated, obsolete and very often inappropriate equipment. Moreover,
police units have very weak operational capacity and police officers lack selfconfidence and pride in their profession. These shabbily dressed men and women
in faded uniforms daily develop an indifferent attitude towards their profession and
work in general. Inefficient and ineffective, the Congolese policeforce is wholly
demoralised and unprofessional. This has negatively affected the relationship
between police and population. It has led to the withdrawal of people’s
cooperation, a must for successful police work and for meeting people’s
expectations.
2013, 48 pp, 978-91-7106-745-6
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1828
Maj-Lis Follér, Beniamin Knutsson, and Håkan Thörn
Who is responsible? Donor-civil society partnerships and the case of
hiv/aids work
Civil society organisations are today considered crucial in development
partnerships. This Policy Dialogue argues that current aid programs tend to turn
such CSOs into businesses that are required to meet donor demands for reportable
results, rather than to serve the needs of intended beneficiaries. Based on case
studies drawn from HIV and AIDS work in Mozambique, Rwanda and South
Africa, the report explores the methods donors use to govern development
partnerships and their effect on the distribution of responsibility among partners. It
further examines the responses by recipient organisations to these requirements,
ranging from acquiescence to resistance. These case studies, drawn from the field of
HIV/AIDS, are also invaluable in shedding light on wider issue of the governance
of international development cooperation with civil society.
Updated Jan 8, 2015 10 Publications 2013–2014
2013, 74 pp, 978 917 106 742-5
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1798
Discussion Paper
NAI Discussion Papers presented work in progress, such as new ideas and interim results from NAI research on Africa,
and were circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment. Endorsed and reviewed internally. The series has
been terminated.
Linnéa Gelot and Mikael Eriksson
The African Union in Light of the Arab Revolts: An appraisal of the foreign
policy and security objectives of South Africa, Ethiopia and Algeria
The fall of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya has changed political
dynamics on the African continent. One immediate concern has been the
implications of these developments for the African Union (AU) and its member
states. Would overall political dynamics in the AU be changed? Would the most
powerful member states use the altered circumstances to enhance their influence on
AU policies and frameworks? What would the impact be for the AU's overall
authority? In this Discussion Paper series, three edited papers are presented that
tackle AU political and institutional dynamics in light of the Arab revolts. A
particular puzzle addressed is the current postures of South Africa, Ethiopia and
Algeria within the AU. A separate analysis of Nigeria's role was published earlier in
the NAI-FOI Lecture Series on African Security.
2013, 64 pp, 978-91-7106-735-7
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1765
Updated Jan 8, 2015 11 Publications 2013–2014
Other books and publications
Sumit Roy
China and India, "rising powers" and African development : challenges
and opportunities
In this report, the challenges and opportunities arising from the growing ties
between two key “Rising Powers,” China and India, and Africa are more fully
explored. This trend has given rise to speculative, exaggerated and ideological
responses and a mixture of anxiety and hope. What is needed is an interdisciplinary
political economy study to investigate the ways in which global, regional and
national linkages in the relationship impact on the prospects of sustainable
development in Africa. The necessity for this is underscored by the growing
influence of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in
reshaping the world.
In this frame, the focus is on the nature of the shift in China’s and India’s strategic
vision of Africa in terms of politics, ideology and economic development. This shift
impinges on trade and investment and, in turn, the scope for inducing structural
economic change in the context of colonial and postcolonial tensions. Comparative
observation of countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, particularly Ethiopia in the
former, illustrates their capacity to cope with the new powers. This is a critical aspect
of the continent’s complex interplay with states and institutions within and beyond
its borders. Ultimately, African nations have to individually and collectively confront
the challenges and opportunities stemming from their evolving relationships with
these Rising Powers.
2014, 34 pp, 978-91-7106-759-3
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1880
Maria Frederika Malmström
Affective Politics in Transitional North Africa : Imagining the Future
The workshop is part of a research project initiated by Dr Maria Frederika
Malmström, senior researcher for North Africa in the Conflict, Security and
Democratic transformation cluster at the Nordic Africa Institute. Dr Malmström is
of the view that in the aftermath of the 2011 uprisings and the recent instability in
North African societies, European policy-makers and academics alike have tended to
overlook the most powerful link, that between politics and affect. Consequently, Dr
Malmström invited a group of researchers to Alexandria in May 2013 to participate
in a two-day workshop on this issue. The workshop was jointly arranged by the
Nordic Africa Institute and the Swedish Institute Alexandria.
2014, 64 pp, 978-91-7106-747-0
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1830
Updated Jan 8, 2015 12 Publications 2013–2014
Mikael Eriksson, Emy Lindberg, Mats Utas
Illicit Flows and African Security
In 2013, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) and the Nordic Africa
Institute (NAI) hosted a joint one day African security conference. The theme of the
conference was Illicit Flows and African Security, and was held at the Museum of
Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm on 17th October 2013.
The expectation was that a mixture of researchers and practitioners coming together
would be able to share ideas and solutions on how illicit flows can be tackled more
effectively. Presenters were carefully chosen from among a highly qualified group of
experts interested in sharing their knowledge and experience. This report is based on
the presentations, held by various experts, from the event.
2014, 48 pp, 978-91-7106-753-1
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1838
Claudia Forster-Towne
Labour, inequality and calls for representative police
The aim of this paper is to identify, using available literature, how difference and
inequality have historically shaped the operationalization of policing in four African
police forces, primarily in relation to calls for representation.
2013, 28 pp, 978-91-7106-746-3
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1826
Emy Lindberg
War in Mali : Background study and annotated bibliography
Not long ago, Mali was considered a beacon of stability and a model of democratic
evolution in West Africa. The country then experienced a military coup in the
capital in March 2012, followed by the usual post-coup volatility and uncertainty.
In the immediate aftermath of the coup, armed insurgents swiftly took over half the
country. It did not take long to dismantle a country that on the paper appeared to
be functioning, stable and democratic. French troops intervened in the conflict in
the north. Yet even if this intervention put a stop to the outright threat of the
insurgents taking over the south and significantly shifted the balance of forces in the
north, it did not end the conflict. The insurgents have dispersed into remote areas in
the sub-region, changing their tactics to terrorist-like activities.
2013, 34 pp, 978-91-7106-736-4
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1777
Updated Jan 8, 2015 13 Publications 2013–2014
Mustapha Abdallah, Jenna Sapiano, Frank Okyere, and Doreen Ivy
Bentum
Exploring the post-Gaddafi Repercussions in the Sahel
Report from an experts’ workshop organised by the Kofi Annan International
Peacekeeping Training Centre and the Nordic Africa Institute with the support of
the Australian Government, 28-29 June 2012.
2013, 22 pp, 978-91-7106-732-6
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1726
Redie Bereketeab (Ed.)
The Horn of Africa: Intra-State and Inter-State Conflicts and Security
The Horn of Africa, comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, is
the most conflict-ridden region in Africa. This book explores the origins and impact
of these conflicts at both an intra-state and inter-state level and the insecurity they
create. The contributors show how regional and international interventions have
compounded pre-existing tensions and have been driven by competing national
interests linked to Western intervention and acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia.
This book outlines proposals for multidimensional mechanisms for conflict
resolution in the region. Issues of border demarcation, democratic deficit, crises of
nation and state building, and the roles of political actors and traditional authorities
are all clearly analysed.
2013, 208 pp, 978 074 533 311-3
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1639
Anders Sjögren
Between Militarism and Technocratic Governance: State Formation in
Contemporary Uganda
State-civil society relations in Africa have during recent decades been transformed in
the context of economic liberalisation and state reform. This study explores statecivil society relations in contemporary Uganda, from 1986 to the present, in order to
illustrate and explain the scope for and capacity of different social forces to create
access to and democratise the state. The study interrogates state-civil society relations
under the incumbent National Resistance Movement government as these are
expressed through forms of interest representation and conflict regulation in
different political arenas. It analyses this problem through an empirical study of the
health sector at both national and local levels. Changes in the health regime – the
rules and practices that regulate health politics – are analysed by a historical
reconstruction of how different health regimes evolved from demands from social
forces on the colonial and postcolonial state, in relation to broader patterns of
political change. The ruling political coalition from 1986 has promoted a model for
capitalist development based on donor-driven economic growth, institutional reform
and political monopoly – what is referred to in the study as technocratic governance.
Throughout, however, the technocratic tendency has been shaped in relation to the
political economy of militarism as a more openly repressive form of authoritarian
Updated Jan 8, 2015 14 Publications 2013–2014
rule. The study argues that limits to democratisation of state society relations within
the health sector and of Ugandan politics at large are best explained by relations of
domination in society, within the state and among external political forces. The
main conclusion is that democratisation of the state has been resisted by ruling
groups, and therefore restricted.
2013, 272 pp, 978-9970-25-150-6
Free download: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1637
Updated Jan 8, 2015 15 Open Access
The Nordic Africa Institute has taken a decision in principle to make all its scientific publications available as open
access. The series Policy Dialogue, Policy Note, Current African Issues and Discussion Paper, which are published
directly by the institute, can either be bought as print-on-demand at a cost price, or be downloaded for free from the
open archive DiVa. Please visit http://nai.diva-portal.org/smash/search.jsf.
About
DiVA - Academic Archive Online, is a publishing system for research and student theses and a digital archive for
long-term preservation of publications. DiVA began its development in the year 2000 at the EPC at Uppsala
University Library. Today the technical development is driven by the EPC in co-operation with the participating
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