Legislative Development in Africa: Politics and Postcolonial Legacies

Ken Ochieng' Opalo

doi:10.1017/9781108684651

What explains contemporary variations in African legislative institutions – including their strengths and weaknesses? Compared with the more powerful executive branches, legislatures throughout the continent have historically been classified as weak and largely inconsequential to policy-making processes. But, as Ken Ochieng' Opalo suggests here, African legislatures actually serve important roles, and under certain conditions, powerful and independent democratic legislatures can emerge from their autocratic foundations. In this book, Opalo examines the colonial origins of African legislatures, as well as how postcolonial intra-elite politics structured the processes of adapting inherited colonial legislatures to local political contexts and therefore continued legislative development. Through case studies of Kenya and Zambia, Opalo offers a comparative longitudinal study of the evolution of legislative strength and institutionalization as well as a regional survey of legislative development under colonial rule, postcolonial autocratic single-party rule, and multiparty politics throughout Africa.

Co-winner of the 2020 African Politics Conference Group Best Book Award, African Politics Conference Group

'Opalo’s highly original argument makes a major contribution to political science. He substantiates his counter-intuitive claim - that legislatures govern more effectively when democracy emerges from under the thumb of a strong autocrat - with a wealth of qualitative and quantitative evidence from the key cases of Kenya and Zambia. He presents sophisticated ideas with compelling prose. This masterful book contributes to various literatures, including democratic transitions, authoritarian politics, and African studies. A must read.'

James Raymond Vreeland - Princeton University, New Jersey

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Legislative Development in Africa

Politics and Postcolonial Legacies

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-iv

Dedication
pp v-vi

Contents
pp vii-vii

List of Figures
pp viii-viii

List of Tables
pp ix-x

Preface
pp xi-xv

Acknowledgements
pp xvi-xviii

1 - Introduction
pp 1-30

2 - Legislative Development in Africa
pp 31-71

3 - Intra-Elite Politics and Credible Commitment
pp 72-98

4 - Colonial Origins of Parliaments in Kenya and Zambia
pp 99-131

5 - Elite Control and Legislative Development
pp 132-178

6 - Legislative Institutionalization in Time
pp 179-207

7 - Electoral Politics and Legislative Independence
pp 208-238

8 - Conclusion
pp 239-247

References
pp 248-272

Index
pp 273-276

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Legislative Development in Africa

Politics and Postcolonial Legacies

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Contents

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